Question

the ant, butterfly, and the oregano plant by nsikan akpan. scientists had never observed any direct contact between adult large blues and myrmica ants. the pregnant butterflies dont spot the nests from above, since the flyers lay their eggs during a time of day when the ants are underground. plus the myrmica ants rarely climb the stems of oregano plants or leave a chemical trail that lasts long enough to be sniffed by the butterflies. however when under duress by pests, such as when ants destroy their roots, plants are known to produce chemicals to ward off invaders. so for this study, barbero and her colleagues grew oregano in enclosed terrariums with myrmica ants, and then collected the chemical scents emitted by the plant. the researchers found that the plants made twice as much of a chemical agent called carvacrol versus normal plants grown without myrmica ants. use the passage to answer the question. how do the scientists test their theory about carvacrol production? (1 point) by examining how large blue butterfly caterpillars destroy the nests of myrmica ants by comparing the chemical scents produced by oregano plants grown with and without myrmica ants by observing the interactions between large blue butterfly adults and myrmica ant populations by capturing the chemical trails left by myrmica ants as they climbed the oregano plants

Explanation:

The passage describes an experiment where researchers grew oregano plants with and without Myrmica ants in enclosed terrariums and then collected the chemical scents. The plants with ants made twice as much of a chemical agent (carvacrol) compared to normal plants. So, they tested their theory by comparing the chemical scents produced by oregano plants grown with and without Myrmica ants.

Answer:

by comparing the chemical scents produced by oregano plants grown with and without Myrmica ants