Question

purple coneflower is a plant pollinated by multiple species of animals, including beetles and butterflies. in contrast, some plants unique structures make them compatible with only one pollinator species. for instance, darwins orchid in madagascar has a 20 - 35 cm flower depth that only wallaces sphinx moth can reach for pollination. although it is reasonable to assume that the process of pollen transfer would be more successful in plants pollinated by multiple species, a researcher hypothesized that the process is sometimes more successful in plants pollinated by a single species. question 12: mark for review. which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers hypothesis? a. the pattern of visits by wallaces sphinx moth to darwins orchid differs from the pattern of visits by beetles and butterflies to purple coneflower. b. wallaces sphinx moth, with its 30 cm proboscis, is able to extract pollen from darwins orchid with precision, whereas pollinators of purple coneflower rely on less - precise methods. c. wallaces sphinx moth pollinates darwins orchid and several other plant species, just as beetles and butterflies pollinate multiple species in addition to purple coneflower. d. plants pollinated by a single species, such as darwins orchid, have deeper flowers than plants pollinated by multiple species, such as purple coneflower.

Explanation:

The researcher's hypothesis is that the pollination process is sometimes more successful in plants pollinated by multiple species than by a single - species. Option A shows that the pattern of visits by Wallace's sphinx moth to Darwin's orchid is different from the pattern of visits by beetles and butterflies to purple coneflower, which doesn't directly support the hypothesis. Option B indicates that Wallace's sphinx moth can pollinate Darwin's orchid with precision while pollinators of purple coneflower are less - precise, which is not about the success of single - species vs multiple - species pollination. Option C mentions that Wallace's sphinx moth pollinates Darwin's orchid and other plants like beetles and butterflies pollinate multiple species, but it doesn't compare the success of single - and multiple - species pollination. Option D states that plants pollinated by a single species like purple coneflower have deeper flowers than those pollinated by multiple species such as Darwin's orchid. If deeper flowers are less accessible to pollinators, it implies that plants pollinated by multiple species may have an advantage in pollination success, directly supporting the hypothesis.

Answer:

D. Plants pollinated by a single species, such as Darwin's orchid, have deeper flowers than plants pollinated by multiple species, such as purple coneflower.