LIFE SCIENCE

OBJECTIVE LIFE SCIENCE

ECOLOGY

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Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]

An acacia tree secretes nectar that ants eat. The tree also has hollow thorns where ant larvae live. The ants protect the tree. Which of the following terms best represents this situation?

A	parasitism
B	commensalism
C	mutualism
D	competition

Explanation:

Detailed explanation-1: -and Louise E. DiMaura Term Chair in the Department of Biology, re-described what has become a classic example of biological mutualism: the obligate relationship between acacia-ants and their host acacia trees.

Detailed explanation-2: -These acacia trees and the ants that live in them have a symbiotic relationship called a mutualism. The trees make sugary nectar for the ants to drink and special hollow thorns that the ants can live in.

Detailed explanation-3: -The correct option is c. Mutualism is an example of this relationship that can be seen in acacia trees and their inhabitant ant species. The plants will provide nutrition, while ants will protect them.

Detailed explanation-4: -Trees Trap Ants Into Sweet Servitude. An enzyme in the nectar of acacia trees makes ants chemically dependent on their sugar.

There is 1 question to complete.