Aphids Are Hemiptera That Suck Phloem Liquid from Plants

question 50

Multiple Choice

Aphids are Hemiptera that suck phloem liquid from plants. Ants are often seen tapping the posterior end of the aphid and collecting the liquid that is released from the aphid's digestive system. In an effort to understand this interaction, several researchers measure the survival rates of aphid populations when ants were present and when they were excluded. Their results are shown.
Imagine that you wished to discover if the ants protect the aphids from flying predators. You would exclude ants from the plants and count aphid population size under two conditions. Which of the following experiments would best help answer this question?

• A) plants covered by netting versus not covered by netting
• B) plants with stems coated at the base with a sticky substance versus not coated with a sticky substance
• C) plants with extra fertiliser and water versus no extra fertiliser and water
• D) plants sprayed with insecticide versus not sprayed with insecticide

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Definitions:

Mode

The value that occurs most frequently in a given set of data.

Standard Deviation

A measure of the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of values; a low standard deviation indicates that the values tend to be close to the mean of the set.

Variability

Refers to the degree of difference or deviation from the mean within a set of data.

National Mean

The average score or value derived from a dataset that represents a performance or characteristic of a broader population at the national level.