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Before it was banned, the insecticide DDT was used to combat an organism called the red mite. An unexpected result of the use of DDT was that the population of the red mite increased rather than decreased, while the population of insect predators of the red mite declined.

What is the most probable explanation of this phenomenon?

A. Part of the red mite population was resistant to DDT and its predators were not.
B. DDT is highly general in the kinds of insects it affects, killing both beneficial and harmful species.
C. The red mite population could use DDT as a nutrient, while the predators could not.
D. DDT triggered a mutation in the red mite population, making it immune to the effects of the chemical.

Answer :

Final answer:

The increase in the red mite population despite DDT use is likely due to resistance within the red mite population, which their predators lacked. This, combined with DDT’s broad impact on insect species, resulted in fewer predators. Therefore, option A is the correct explanation.


Explanation:

Explanation of DDT's Impact on Red Mites

The use of DDT, a pesticide, had unintended ecological consequences. The specific phenomenon described, where the population of the red mite increased despite DDT application, can be primarily explained by the following:

  1. Resistance: It is likely that a part of the red mite population had developed a resistance to DDT, which allowed them to survive the pesticide's effects. In contrast, their insect predators did not have this resistance, leading to a decline in their numbers.
  2. Impact on Predators: The wide use of DDT indiscriminately affected a variety of insect species, including the natural predators of the red mite. This created an ecological imbalance where the harmful species thrived in the absence of their predators.

Therefore, the most probable explanation for the increase in the red mite population is that part of their population was resistant to DDT while their predators were not.


Learn more about DDT and resistance in ecosystems here:

https://brainly.com/question/16660421


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