Figure 53.6
-Treehoppers (a type of insect)produce honeydew,which ants use for food.Treehoppers have a major predator,the jumping spider.Researchers hypothesized that the ants would protect the treehoppers from the spiders.In an experiment,researchers followed study plots with ants removed from the system and compared them to a control plot.In the figure above,what can you conclude?
A)Ants do somehow protect the treehoppers from spiders.
B)Ants do not protect the treehoppers from spiders.
C)Ants reduce the numbers of treehoppers.
D)No specific conclusions can be drawn from this figure.

Question

Figure 53.6 
-Treehoppers (a type of insect)produce honeydew,which ants use for food.Treehoppers have a major predator,the jumping spider.Researchers hypothesized that the ants would protect the treehoppers from the spiders.In an experiment,researchers followed study plots with ants removed from the system and compared them to a control plot.In the figure above,what can you conclude?
A)Ants do somehow protect the treehoppers from spiders. 
B)Ants do not protect the treehoppers from spiders. 
C)Ants reduce the numbers of treehoppers. 
D)No specific conclusions can be drawn from this figure.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The figure shows that in the control plot (with ants present), the number of spiders caught is significantly higher than in the plot with ants removed. This suggests that ants may be playing a role in protecting the treehoppers from their major predator, the jumping spider. Therefore, the best conclusion is that ants do somehow protect the treehoppers from spiders.

Figure 53.6 -Treehoppers (A Type of Insect)produce Honeydew,which Ants Use for Food.Treehoppers