Three isolated populations of a single species have different histories: population A recently suffered damage from a virus; population B was recently exposed to an herbivorous caterpillar, L. sexta; and population C had no recent exposure to pathogens or herbivores. All three populations are now free of pathogens and herbivores and have the same total biomass. You decide to do an experiment in which you introduce L. sexta into all three populations. How do you expect the three populations to respond?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Population B has recently been exposed to L. sexta and has therefore developed some resistance to it. Population C has had no recent exposure to pathogens or herbivores and is therefore likely to be the most susceptible to damage from L. sexta. Population A has recently suffered damage from a virus, which may have weakened the plants and made them more susceptible to damage from L. sexta. Therefore, we expect that plant biomass will be highest in B, then C, and lowest in A.

Three Isolated Populations of a Single Species Have Different Histories