Read the following scenario, and answer the questions below.

In North America, a toxic weed called leafy spurge was accidentally introduced and has grown and spread rapidly, covering millions of acres in north- central United States and south- central Canada. Leafy spurge is generally avoided by cattle and horses and may be toxic to them. Thus, rangeland where leafy spurge has spread has been damaged by the invasion of this plant.

-Flea beetles alone are unlikely to eliminate all of the leafy spurge in a region.Instead,the number of leafy spurge plants and the number of flea beetles in a particular community may stabilize.At such a point,the leafy spurge and flea beetle populations __________.

Question

Read the following scenario, and answer the questions below.

In North America, a toxic weed called leafy spurge was accidentally introduced and has grown and spread rapidly, covering millions of acres in north- central United States and south- central Canada. Leafy spurge is generally avoided by cattle and horses and may be toxic to them. Thus, rangeland where leafy spurge has spread has been damaged by the invasion of this plant.

-Flea beetles alone are unlikely to eliminate all of the leafy spurge in a region.Instead,the number of leafy spurge plants and the number of flea beetles in a particular community may stabilize.At such a point,the leafy spurge and flea beetle populations __________.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ecological resistance occurs when a population is able to maintain its size despite being subjected to pressure from a predator or other source of mortality. In this case, the leafy spurge population is being controlled by the flea beetle population, but the beetle population itself is not growing exponentially. Instead, it has reached a stable equilibrium with the leafy spurge population. This suggests that the two populations are experiencing ecological resistance.

Read the Following Scenario, and Answer the Questions Below