Refer to the figure. Insects raised on a diet of plant materials grow more slowly than those grown on a nonplant nutrient medium in the lab.This implies that the gene shown in the right panel of the figure is important for producing which defense compounds?

Question

Refer to the figure.  Insects raised on a diet of plant materials grow more slowly than those grown on a nonplant nutrient medium in the lab.This implies that the gene shown in the right panel of the figure is important for producing which defense compounds?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fact that insects raised on plant materials grow more slowly suggests that they are being affected by plant defenses. Protease inhibitors are a common class of plant defense compounds that can slow down the growth and development of insect larvae by interfering with their ability to digest protein. Therefore, the gene shown in the right panel of the figure is likely involved in producing protease inhibitors.

Refer to the Figure