The Brazil nut tree, Bertholletia excels (n = 17) , is native to tropical rain forests of South America. It is a hardwood tree that can grow to over 50 meters tall, is a source of high-quality lumber, and is a favorite nesting site for harpy eagles. As the rainy season ends, tough-walled fruits, each containing 8-25 seeds (Brazil nuts), fall to the forest floor. Brazil nuts are composed primarily of endosperm. About $ 50 million worth of nuts are harvested each year. Scientists have discovered that the pale yellow flowers of Brazil nut trees cannot fertilize themselves and admit only female orchid bees as pollinators. The agouti (Dasyprocta spp.), a cat-sized rodent, is the only animal with teeth strong enough to crack the hard wall of Brazil nut fruits. It typically eats some of the seeds, buries others, and leaves still others inside the fruit, which moisture can now enter. The uneaten seeds may subsequently germinate. The same bees that pollinate the flowers of the Brazil nut trees also pollinate orchids, which are epiphytes (in other words, plants that grow on other plants); however, orchids cannot grow on Brazil nut trees. These observations explain _____. A. the coevolution of Brazil nut trees and orchids B. why Brazil nut trees do not set fruit in monoculture plantations C. why male orchid bees do not pollinate Brazil nut tree flowers D. why male orchid bees are smaller than female orchid bees



Answer :

The correct is option (B) why Brazil nut trees do not set fruit in monoculture plantations.

They are vast plantations of a single species of trees or other plants; in this process, all plantations use the same techniques, such as fertilization, pest control, and high production. Sugar cane, cereals, cotton, and pine tree plantations are the most prevalent. This monoculture system is typically used in areas with a labor shortage because it can quickly reach its maximum level of agricultural production. The erosion of soil nutrients, replacement of natural forests, alteration of the hydrological cycle, reduction in food production, and deterioration of the landscape in tourist areas are all consequences of monoculture systems, which also pose a number of threats to biodiversity and the ecological sphere. Because there is no diversity in cultivation, the animals that once inhabited the area are no longer able to fight off diseases.

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