Hemlock woolly adelgid is an insect pest to hemlock trees. It was introduced in the United States during the 1920's. It is not n
ative to the United States and has few natural predators. To control this insect pest, scientists identified a species of predatory beetle, (Pseudoscymnus tsugae). They hope to introduce this beetle to areas where the woolly adelgid is destructive, reduce the woolly adelgid population, and minimize the damage caused to hemlock trees. Which of these questions BEST summarizes the research described?
A) Are hemlock trees important to the ecosystem?
B) How does the woolly adelgid kill hemlock trees?
C) Can insect pests be used to control damaging predators in sensitive environments?
D) Can predatory beetles help reduce environmental damage caused by the woolly adelgid?
Option D, Can predatory beetles help reduce environmental damage caused by the woolly adelgid?
Explanation:
In this paragraph it is described as how a Hemlock woolly adelgid insect/pest is harming the hemlock tree. In order to control this destruction, it was identified by some scientist that Pseudoscymnus tsugae is a beetle that feeds on this woolly adelgid insect.
Hence, the most appropriate scientific question to ask is "what is the role of predatory beetle in saving the Hemlock trees?"
