Question

Purple loosestrife is an invasive flowering plant species now found in North America. In an effort to control the purple loosestrife, biologists tested and released three beetle species to use as a biological control of the plant.



Beetle Species Effect on Purple Loosestrife
Galerucella pusilla Feeds on leaves and new shoots
Hylobius transversovittatus Deposits eggs in the stem; larvae feed on root tissue
Nanophyes marmoratus Feeds on flowers and reduces seed production

Which result is an unintended negative consequence of releasing these beetle species into the environment?

There will be an increase in the population numbers of native beetle species in the habitat.

There will be an increase in the available habitat for non-native plant species.

There will be an increase in pollination of native flowering plant species.

There will be an increase in competition for food resources among all beetle species in the habitat.

Answer 1

The unintended negative consequence of releasing these beetle species into the environment is:

**There will be an increase in competition for food resources among all beetle species in the habitat.**

When multiple species are introduced into an ecosystem to control a target species, they may compete with each other and with native species for the same food resources, potentially leading to negative impacts on the existing biodiversity and food web dynamics.