Coevolution can be seen between some plants and animals, like the yucca plant and the yucca moth. The flowers are shaped specifically so that only the tiny moth can pollinate them.

Question

If the yucca moth goes extinct due to climate change or other human-generated factors, what would be the likely outcome for the yucca plant?

(1 point)
Responses

The yucca plant would also go extinct.
The yucca plant would also go extinct.

Humans would have to engineer a way to pollinate the plant.
Humans would have to engineer a way to pollinate the plant.

A new animal would evolve or adapt to take over the job of the yucca moth.
A new animal would evolve or adapt to take over the job of the yucca moth.

The yucca plant would evolve a new way to be pollinated.
The yucca plant would evolve a new way to be pollinated. .

Answer 1

The most likely outcome for the yucca plant, if the yucca moth goes extinct, is:

The yucca plant would also go extinct.

This is because the yucca plant relies specifically on the yucca moth for pollination, and without the moth, it would struggle to reproduce effectively. While it's theoretically possible for other options to happen (such as humans intervening, new animals evolving, or the plant evolving a new pollination method), these scenarios are less likely given the specificity of the mutualism.