An insect and a flower have a highly specific pollination interaction; that is, the two species depend closely on each other.The insect feeds almost exclusively on nectar and pollen from this flower, and the flower is only pollinated by this insect species or its close relatives.A severe and long-lasting drought greatly depletes the population of this flower species.What will most likely happen to the population of the insect species?

Question

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The insect species depends exclusively on the flower species for food, so a severe depletion of the flower population would result in a decrease in the insect population due to loss of their food source. Option A is incorrect because although insects are mobile, they are highly specific to this flower species and may not be able to find adequate food elsewhere. Option B is incorrect because the insect species depends exclusively on this plant and cannot move to other locations to find the same species. Option C is also incorrect because this specific insect species only feeds on this specific flower species. Option D is incorrect because insects that feed on nectar and pollen are more resilient to drought than plants and can often find other sources of nectar and pollen during times of drought.

An Insect and a Flower Have a Highly Specific Pollination