Chemical Defenses Are an Important Part of Plant-Herbivore Interactions

Chemical defenses are an important part of plant-herbivore interactions. The production of these chemical defense compounds results in an energetic cost to the organism. Which of the following statements explains how natural selection resulted in the evolution of these chemical compounds?

A) The production of chemical compounds requires nitrogen. Nitrogen used to make these compounds cannot be used to make proteins.
B) The energetic cost of producing chemical compounds is reduced because only small amounts of each chemical are needed to have their desired effects.
C) Individuals that produce chemical compounds are better protected from herbivores and are able to produce more young than individuals that do not produce the compounds.
D) Plants produce amino acids that are not incorporated into their own proteins, but herbivorous insects do incorporate these amino acids into their own proteins, rendering the herbivores' proteins nonfunctional.