A gardener is constantly struggling with the growth of weeds in his perennial flower beds. At the start of the growing season one year, he sprays an herbicide to reduce the number of weeds. Although the herbicide kills many of the weeds, some develop resistance to the herbicide and continue to grow and spread among his flowering plants. After a few years, the gardener decides to stop all herbicide applications. One of the changes that he notices is that the weeds that have resistance to herbicides grow much more slowly and are easily outcompeted by other weeds when no pesticides are sprayed (i.e., the herbicide-susceptible weeds produce more seeds and quickly overtake some of the areas in the garden where the herbicide-resistant weeds had been growing). In a single individual, how might herbicide resistance occur?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Herbicide resistance in a single individual weed can occur through the development of a mutation in a gene that confers resistance to the herbicide. This mutation allows the weed to survive and reproduce in the presence of the herbicide, passing on the resistant gene to its offspring.

A Gardener Is Constantly Struggling with the Growth of Weeds