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? A. A new animal would evolve or adapt to take over the job of the yucca moth. B. The yucca plant would also go extinct. C. Humans would have to engineer a way to pollinate the plant. D. 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 would be:

B. The yucca plant would also go extinct.

This option reflects the strong coevolutionary relationship between the yucca plant and the yucca moth, where the plant relies specifically on the moth for pollination. While alternative scenarios (such as adaptation or human intervention) could theoretically occur, given the specialized nature of their relationship and the critical dependency of the yucca plant on the yucca moth for successful reproduction, the extinction of the yucca moth would likely lead to the decline and potential extinction of the yucca plant as well.