Question

Imagine you are an explorer who has just discovered 2 previously unknown large islands.  Each island has a population of a shrub unknown elsewhere. On Island A, the shrubs have high concentrations of certain poisonous chemicals in their leaves.  On Island B, the shrubs have nonpoisonous, edible leaves.  Island A has less rainfall and a colder winter than Island B. Island A has a number of plants eating insects not found on Island B and a large population of muntjacs, a small tropical deer that eats shrubs.  Are muntjacs the selective force that has caused the evolution of leaf toxins. Describe an experiment that would you test this hypothesis?  What alternative hypothesis could explain this scenario?  What data would disprove these hypotheses?

( I need help understanding this topic a little bit. Thanks)

Answer 1

OS the pressure -erous on the coming can on the A the 1) The hypothesis that muntjees have acted selective to result in the evolution of dang leaf toxin Island A may be defined by doing the Coming predictions. * Inspite of deer pick out between the leaves bushes from Island and Island B, the mun - tjacs would like the leaves of Island B. If this Particular Predicton is correct, It means that harmful toxins discourage herbirones Second, the distinction in the heat and rain fall of the two islands accountable for the real difference in the generation of the poisons in this could be examined by raising the bushes of both island controlled Conditions which imitated of both islands, it under both problems Shrubs of island will continue produce shrubs and toxins of island B don't, Then the hypothesis that abiotic condition in charge of tosin output Could be Shrubs under the planet A are to ruled out .
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Answer 2

Muntjacs could be the selective force that caused the evolution of leaf toxins. In the presence of muntjacs, the presence of a random mutation resulting in the production of a leaf toxin would result in less leaves been eaten and a better survival of the shrubs.

An experiment to test this would be to investigate the effect of the presence or absence of muntjacs on the number of poisonous shrubs, like those from island A.

This scenario can be alternative explained by the presence of plant eating insects. It could be that the evolution of leaf toxins provided the shrubs a selective advantage under the presence of the insects. This could be tested evaluating the effect of the presence or absence of insects on the number of poisonous shrubs. A similar number of shrubs both with and without insects would disprove this hypothesis.

Another alternative would be if the different climate constituted the selective force causing the evolution of leaf toxins. It is likely that the poisonous chemicals actually confer the plant a selective advantage to tolerate the less rainfall and/or the colder winter. This can be tested by exposing the plants to less water and cold temperature or more water/higher temperature and investigate the number of shrubs like those from island A. The absence of a difference between both experimental groups would disprove this hypothesis.