In certain tropical savannas, whistling thorn acacia trees maintain a specialized relationship with aggressive ant colonies. Rather than relying solely on thorns to deter large herbivores, the acacia secretes a carbohydrate-rich nectar from specialized glands at the base of its leaves and provides hollow thorns as nesting sites. In exchange, the resident ants patrol the branches, stinging browsing herbivores and pruning climbing vines that attempt to overgrow the canopy. The ants do not actively cultivate the tree's health; rather, their defensive behavior is an incidental byproduct of guarding their food source and shelter. When browsing mammals are absent, acacias reduce nectar production, prompting the ants to abandon the trees, which subsequently causes the trees to decline rapidly due to unchecked encroaching vegetation.
Which of the following scenarios is most analogous to the relationship between the acacia trees and the resident ant colonies described in the passage?
- AA gardener introduces predatory ladybugs into a greenhouse to consume aphids that are actively destroying tomato plants.
- BA municipal government hires a specialized contractor on a fixed fee to sweep public streets and repair road surfaces according to strict technical specifications.
- A software firm offers free hosting and development tools to independent security researchers, whose efforts to defend their own hosted projects incidentally identify and deter systemic cyber threats to the firm.Cevap
- DA property manager evicts non-paying tenants, resulting in an empty commercial building that avoids interior wear and tear without ongoing maintenance.
- EAn agricultural cooperative implements a seasonal crop rotation schedule to replenish soil nitrogen levels and maximize long-term harvest yields.