The Brazil Nut Tree, Bertholletia Excels (N = 17), Is

question 80

Multiple Choice

The Brazil nut tree, Bertholletia excels (n = 17) , is native to tropical rain forests of South America. It is a hardwood tree that can grow to over 50 metres tall, a source of high-quality timber, and a favourite nesting site for harpy eagles. As the rainy season ends, tough-walled fruits, each containing 8-25 seeds (Brazil nuts) , fall to the forest floor. Brazil nuts are composed primarily of endosperm. About $50 million worth of nuts are harvested each year. Scientists have discovered that the pale yellow flowers of Brazil nut trees cannot fertilise themselves and admit only female orchid bees as pollinators. The agouti (Dasyprocta spp.) , a cat-sized rodent, is the only animal with teeth strong enough to crack the hard wall of Brazil nut fruits. It typically eats some of the seeds, buries others, and leaves still others inside the fruit, which moisture can then enter and allow the remaining seeds to germinate.
-The large white part of a Brazil nut that people eat serves which of the following functions in nature?

• A) It attracts harpy eagles and encourages them to nest in the tree.
• B) It provides energy and nutrition to a germinating seedling.
• C) It serves as protection for the embryo from agoutis looking for food.
• D) It provides a water source for the developing embryo.

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