Q78.
Consider the following : 1. Carabid beetles 2. Centipedes 3. Flies 4. Termites 5. Wasps Parasitoid species are found how many of the above kind of organisms?
Answer
B
Explanation
In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionary strategies within parasitism, distinguished by the fatal prognosis for the host, which makes the strategy close to predation. Option 1 is correct: Several genera of carabid beetles are ectoparasitoids as larvae. The parasitoid habit is uncommon in beetles; only eleven beetle families include parasitoid species. The best-known genera of parasitoid carabids are Brachinus, Lebia, and Lebistina. Brachinus, the celebrated bombardier beetle, emits a directed, explosive spray of boiling-hot quinone solution, which is considered the most highly evolved defensive secretion of the many types documented in the Carabidae. Options 3 and 5 are correct: Most parasitoids are either wasps and bees (Hymenoptera) or flies (Diptera), although a few species of beetles, twisted wing insects, moths, and other insects have been identified as parasitoids. Option 2 is not correct: Centipedes are predatory arthropods. Centipedes are predominantly generalist predators, which means they are adapted to eat a broad range of prey. Common prey items include lumbricid earthworms, dipteran fly larvae, collembolans, and other centipedes. Option 4 is not correct: Termites are primarily detritivores, consuming dead plants at any level of decomposition. They also play a vital role in the ecosystem by recycling waste material such as dead wood, faeces and plants.