Use the following information to answer the question.
Heterobasidion is a basidiomycete that contributes to mortality of trees. Kuhlman isolated 23 strains of Heterobasidion and applied them to 16 seedlings of 10 different tree species. Partial results of this experiment are shown in the table. (From Kuhlman, E. G. 1970. Seedling inoculations with Fomes annosus show variation in virulence and in host susceptibility. Phytopathology 60:1743-1746. https://www.apsnet.org/publications/phytopathology/backissues/Documents/1970Articles/Phyto60n12_1743.PDF)
% mortality of five host species from five Heterobasidion isolates

Which of the following conclusions can best be drawn from these results?

Question

Use the following information to answer the question.
Heterobasidion is a basidiomycete that contributes to mortality of trees. Kuhlman isolated 23 strains of Heterobasidion and applied them to 16 seedlings of 10 different tree species. Partial results of this experiment are shown in the table. (From Kuhlman, E. G. 1970. Seedling inoculations with Fomes annosus show variation in virulence and in host susceptibility. Phytopathology 60:1743-1746. https://www.apsnet.org/publications/phytopathology/backissues/Documents/1970Articles/Phyto60n12_1743.PDF)
% mortality of five host species from five Heterobasidion isolates

Which of the following conclusions can best be drawn from these results?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The table shows that the percent mortality (i.e., susceptibility) of different tree species varies greatly depending on the strain of Heterobasidion applied. For example, strain 18 caused 100% mortality in Douglas-fir seedlings but only 10% mortality in Sugar pine seedlings. This indicates that tree species do vary in their susceptibility to Heterobasidion, leading to the conclusion that choice D, "Tree species vary in their susceptibility to Heterobasidion," is the best conclusion that can be drawn from these results. None of the other answer choices can be supported by this data.

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