The Next Few Questions Refer to the Following Description

question 70

Multiple Choice

The next few questions refer to the following description.
The cycads, a mostly tropical phylum of gymnosperms, evolved about 300 million years ago and were dominant forms during the Age of the Dinosaurs. Though their sperm are flagellated, their ovules are pollinated by beetles. These beetles get nutrition (they eat pollen) and shelter from the microsporophylls. Upon visiting megasporophylls, the beetles transfer pollen to the exposed ovules. In cycads, pollen cones and seed cones are borne on different plants. Cycads synthesize neurotoxins, especially in the seeds, that are effective against most animals, including humans.
-If the beetles survive by consuming cycad pollen, then whether the beetles should be considered mutualists with, or parasites of, the cycads depends upon

• A) the extent to which their overall activities affect cycad reproduction.
• B) the extent to which the beetles are affected by the neurotoxins.
• C) the extent to which the beetles damage the cycad flowers.
• D) the distance the beetles must travel between cycad microsporophylls and cycad megasporophylls.

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Definitions:

Standard Deviations

An indicator of how much the values in a collection differ from each other.

Probability Density Functions

Mathematical functions that describe the likelihood of a continuous random variable taking on a particular value.

Continuous Random Variables

Variables capable of assuming countless values within a specified range.

Normal Probability Distribution

A continuous probability distribution characterized by a symmetrical bell-shaped curve, where the mean, median, and mode are all equal.