Question

What is one advantage of inducible defenses? a. They are always present; thus, an individual is always able to defend itself. b. They make it impossible for a consumer to launch surprise attacks. c. They result from a coevolutionary arms race. d. They make efficient use of resources, because they are produced only when needed.

Name: Problem 4, Chapter 55: Biological Science
Uploaded: 2020-06-19T21:05:15-08:00
Duration: 2 min 33 s
Channel: John Barone
Description: What is one advantage of inducible defenses? a. They are always present; thus, an individual is always able to defend itself. b. They make it impossible for a consumer to launch surprise attacks. c. They result from a coevolutionary arms race. d. They make efficient use of resources, because they are produced only when needed.

   What is one advantage of inducible defenses?
a. They are always present; thus, an individual is always able to defend itself.
b. They make it impossible for a consumer to launch surprise attacks.
c. They result from a coevolutionary arms race.
d. They make efficient use of resources, because they are produced only when needed.

Biological Science

Scott Freeman,… 5th Edition

Chapter 55, Problem 4

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Solved by Expert John Barone

06/19/2020

Step 1

Inducible defenses are those that are produced only when a threat is present. This means that the organism does not waste energy or resources producing these defenses all the time. Show more…

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What is one advantage of inducible defenses? a. They are always present; thus, an individual is always able to defend itself. b. They make it impossible for a consumer to launch surprise attacks. c. They result from a coevolutionary arms race. d. They make efficient use of resources, because they are produced only when needed.

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Key Concepts

Resource Allocation and Cost Efficiency

A key concept in defense mechanisms is the trade-off between the benefits of protection and the costs of producing and maintaining defenses. Inducible defenses exemplify resource efficiency because they are produced only when needed, thereby conserving energy and resources during periods of low threat.

Inducible Defenses

Inducible defenses are adaptive traits or responses that organisms deploy only when facing imminent threats, such as attacks from predators or herbivores. This strategy allows the organism to avoid the continuous energy and resource costs associated with maintaining a constant defensive state.

Constitutive vs. Inducible Defenses

In evolutionary ecology, defenses can be categorized as either constitutive, which are always present, or inducible, which develop in response to a threat. The inducible strategy is beneficial because it minimizes unnecessary energy expenditure when predators or parasites are absent.

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