A biologist hypothesizes that some plants signal danger to their offspring through chemical changes in their seeds, allowing the next generation to grow with stronger defenses, even before being attacked themselves.
Which finding, if true, would most strongly support the biologist's hypothesis?
- A
Seedlings sometimes face challenging early growing conditions.
- Bcheck_circle
Seeds produced by parent plants that had been attacked by herbivores grew into seedlings with elevated defensive chemical levels, while seeds from unattacked parents in the same environment produced seedlings with normal defense levels.
- C
Plants have many ways to protect themselves from herbivores.
- D
Many plant species produce large numbers of seeds.
Explanation
A documents trans-generational transmission of defense status from attacked parents to their seeds and offspring, exactly as the hypothesis predicts. B, C, and D are general background.