Question

On the Pacific island of Guam, large herbivorous bats called "flying foxes" commonly feed on cycad seeds, a potent source of neurotoxins. The flying foxes do not visit male cones. Consequently, which of the following statements should be accurate? A) Flying foxes disperse cycad seeds if the seeds sometimes get swallowed whole (in other words, without getting chewed). B) Flying foxes assist the beetles as important pollinating agents of the cycads C) Flying foxes are highly susceptible to the effects of the neurotoxins because the toxin attacks the action of the central nervous system. D) Flying foxes are attracted to cycad fruit and eat the enclosed seeds only by accident.

Answer 1

Flying foxes disperse the Cycad seeds if  the seed sometimes get swallowed whole.

Explanation:

• Cycads are gymnosperms they do not have seeds enclosed in fruit. Therefore the bats are not attracted to cycad fruit.
• If the bats were susceptible to neurotoxin then they must not have been the frequent feeders of cycad seeds. Biomagnification of neurotoxin in flying fox is a widely researched topic.
• Beetles do not have an association with these bats thus the bats must not be assisting them as important pollinating agents.