Ch. 31 - Protostome Animals

Freeman - Biological Science 7th Edition

Freeman7th EditionBiological ScienceISBN: 9783584863285Not the one you use?Change textbook

Freeman 7th Edition

Ch. 31 - Protostome Animals

Problem 10

Chapter 31, Problem 10

About a third of insect species measured are in decline, meaning that their populations are shrinking due to habitat destruction, pollution, and other factors. Predict how this change affects the bee pollination of crops such as apples and almonds.

Verified step by step guidance

Understand the role of bees in pollination: Bees are key pollinators for many crops, including apples and almonds. Pollination is the process where pollen is transferred from the male part of a flower (anther) to the female part (stigma), enabling fertilization and fruit production.

Recognize the impact of insect population decline: A decrease in bee populations due to habitat destruction, pollution, and other factors reduces the number of pollinators available to perform this essential function.

Analyze the consequences for crop production: With fewer bees available to pollinate crops, the efficiency of pollination decreases, potentially leading to lower yields of fruits like apples and almonds.

Consider secondary effects: Reduced crop yields can impact food supply, economic stability for farmers, and biodiversity in ecosystems that depend on these crops.

Predict long-term implications: If the decline in insect populations continues, it may necessitate alternative pollination strategies, such as manual pollination or reliance on other pollinator species, which could be less effective or more costly.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Pollination

Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma, enabling fertilization and the production of seeds. Insects, particularly bees, are crucial pollinators for many crops, including apples and almonds. Their activity directly influences fruit set and yield, making their decline a significant concern for agricultural productivity.

Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans derive from natural ecosystems, including food production, pollination, and climate regulation. Pollinators like bees provide essential services by facilitating the reproduction of flowering plants, which in turn supports food systems and biodiversity. A decline in pollinator populations can disrupt these services, leading to reduced crop yields and economic losses.

Biodiversity and Resilience

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem, including the diversity of species, genetic variation, and ecosystem processes. High biodiversity contributes to ecosystem resilience, allowing systems to withstand environmental changes and disturbances. The decline of insect species, particularly pollinators, can reduce biodiversity, weakening ecosystem resilience and potentially leading to crop failures and food insecurity.

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Related Practice

Textbook Question

Brachiopoda is a phylum within the Lophotrochozoa. Even though they are not closely related to bivalve mollusks (such as clams or mussels), brachiopods look and act like bivalve mollusks. Specifically, brachiopods suspension feed, secrete calcium carbonate shells with two valves that hinge together in some species, and attach to rocks or other hard surfaces on the ocean floor. How is it possible for brachiopods and bivalves to be so similar if they did not share a recent common ancestor?

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Textbook Question

Suppose that a gene originally identified in nematodes (roundworms) is found to be homologous with a gene that can cause developmental abnormalities in humans. Would it be possible to use fruit flies as a model organism to study this gene? Explain.

A team of 102 scientists spent a year surveying a small area of the San Lorenzo rain forest in Panama to count the number of species of arthropods living there. After collecting 129,494 specimens—using nets, traps, shovels, tree-climbing harnesses, helium balloons, and other creative gear—it took the team eight years to sort and identify the arthropods. Which of the following nested groups best describes the taxonomic context for the San Lorenzo project?

a. Animalia > Bilateria > Arthropoda > Ecdysozoa

b. Protostomia > Lophotrochozoa > Ecdysozoa > Arthropoda

c. Arthropoda > Protostomia > Ecdysozoa > Bilateria

d. Bilateria > Protostomia > Ecdysozoa > Arthropoda

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Textbook Question

A team of 102 scientists spent a year surveying a small area of the San Lorenzo rain forest in Panama to count the number of species of arthropods living there. After collecting 129,494 specimens—using nets, traps, shovels, tree-climbing harnesses, helium balloons, and other creative gear—it took the team eight years to sort and identify the arthropods. Rather than measuring the entire 6000-hectare (ha) forest, the researchers sampled arthropod diversity by intensively collecting as many arthropods as they could in 12 plots that measured 20 m × 20m square. If 1 ha=10,000 m², how many hectares of forest did they sample in all?

a. 20 m×20 m×12=4800 ha

b. 4800 m²×10,000 m²/1 ha=48,000,000 ha

c. 20 m×20 m=400 ha

d. 4800 m² x ha/10,000 m² = 0.48 ha

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Textbook Question

A team of 102 scientists spent a year surveying a small area of the San Lorenzo rain forest in Panama to count the number of species of arthropods living there. After collecting 129,494 specimens—using nets, traps, shovels, tree-climbing harnesses, helium balloons, and other creative gear—it took the team eight years to sort and identify the arthropods. The graph below shows some of the data for the major arthropod groups collected. Notice that the scale on the y-axis is logarithmic to make both small and large numbers legible on the same graph. For example, there are about 400 species of spiders but only 40 species of bees.

About how many arthropods were found in total?

About what percentage of these were beetles?

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