A certain species of tiny wasp lays its eggs within the bodies of caterpillars, whereupon the larvae of the wasp consume the 10-g caterpillar. Assuming that the entire victim was consumed, what would be the total mass of the eventual adult wasps that emerge from the caterpillar?
A) 10 g
B) 1 g
C) 100 g
D) 2 g

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the information provided, the larvae of the wasp consume the entire 10-g caterpillar. Therefore, the total mass of the eventual adult wasps that emerge from the caterpillar would be equal to the mass of the consumed caterpillar, which is 10 grams. However, the question is asking for the mass of the adult wasps themselves, not including the mass of the caterpillar. Since multiple adult wasps emerge from the same caterpillar, the total mass of the adult wasps will be less than 10 grams. Option B, 1g, is the best estimate as it seems reasonable that multiple tiny wasps might have a combined mass of 1 gram or less.

A Certain Species of Tiny Wasp Lays Its Eggs Within