Large Blue caterpillars only gain 1 to 2 percent of their body weight by nibbling on the oregano leaves during the early stages of life. The overwhelming majority of their sustenance — 98 to 99 percent — comes from eating ants. But if butterfly larvae tried to trick the wrong patsies —non-Myrmica ants — they’d likely get eaten. Guessing right is a matter of 3life and death, and especially important given the Large Blue Butterfly has relatively few eggs and is endangered. From an evolutionary perspective, Thomas and Barbero say that the Large Blue butterflies gained an advantage by using scents to glean which oregano plants are fighting off Myrmica invasions. At the same time, the plant only loses a small, non-lethal amount of its leaves to the caterpillar. And though Myrmica might lose individual battles to the butterflies, the ants are invasive enough that their total populations aren’t at risk of being harmed by the butterflies.

Question

Connection: Large Blue caterpillars do not pose a significant threat to the oregano plant. Select both answers that support this connection.

A. "Large Blue caterpillars only gain 1 to 2 percent of their body weight by nibbling on the oregano leaves during the early stages of life."
B. "The overwhelming majority of their sustenance—98 to 99 percent—comes from eating ants."
C. "From an evolutionary perspective, Thomas and Barbero say that the Large Blue butterflies gained an advantage by using scents to glean which oregano plants are fighting off Myrmica invasions."
D. "And though Myrmica might lose individual battles to the butterflies, the ants are invasive enough that their total populations aren’t at risk of being harmed by the butterflies."
E. "But if butterfly larvae tried to trick the wrong patsies—non-Mymirca ants—they'd likely get eaten."

Answer 1

The two answers that support the connection that Large Blue caterpillars do not pose a significant threat to the oregano plant are:

A. "Large Blue caterpillars only gain 1 to 2 percent of their body weight by nibbling on the oregano leaves during the early stages of life."

B. "The overwhelming majority of their sustenance—98 to 99 percent—comes from eating ants."

These statements highlight that the caterpillars gain only a minimal amount of nourishment from the oregano leaves, indicating that their impact on the plant is not significant.