Question

and group living is where all social stories start. whyte is a biologist at the university of california, berkeley. whyte is fascinated by how staghorns form colonies in the wild, where members perform different, individual tasks. however, he notes, when grown in soil as ornamental plants, these ferns dont need a community. they now form individual strap fronds. such variability is not typical of eusocial species, he says. burns says hes really excited to have found something in the wild that unexpectedly turns out to be comparable to some of the coolest, most advanced societies in the living world. and regardless of how eusocial these ferns are, they still have intriguing similarities and differences from caste - forming animals, he adds. text: these ferns may be first plants known to work together as ants do by jake buehler. science news explores, july 1, 2021. adapted with permission. question 22 what is the meaning of variability in paragraph 16? a. changeability b. competition c. efficiency d. reliability

Explanation:

The paragraph describes how staghorn ferns behave differently in the wild (forming colonies with different - task - performing members) and when grown as ornamental plants (forming individual strap fronds). The word "variability" here refers to this change in behavior. "Changeability" is the closest in meaning.

Answer:

A. changeability