Question

Nicotiana attenuata, a night flowering hawk-moth pollinated plant, changes its flowering time from night to dawn when highly infested with hawk-moth larvae. The plant gets pollinated by humming birds at dawn. This is an example of which of the following?

• A. Organ-level defense
• B. Cellular-level defense
• C. Organism-level defense
• D. Population-level defense

Hint:

The question focuses on the organism’s behavioral and reproductive adjustments to environmental stress, making C the correct choice.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Concept
Plant adaptive responses to herbivory

Step 2: Meaning
Understanding how plants change their strategies to cope with herbivore attacks, specifically in terms of flowering time adjustments.

Step 3: Analysis
The plant Nicotiana attenuata modifies its flowering time from night to dawn when heavily infested with hawk-moth larvae. This is an adaptive response at the organism level as it affects the entire plant's behavior and reproductive cycle to ensure successful pollination despite herbivory pressure.

Step 4: Conclusion
This example demonstrates that the plant alters its overall strategy (organism) rather than specific cellular or population-wide changes. Final Answer: (C)