Question

1. a fruit grower notices that a few years after applying the same pesticide to control insect pests, it gradually becomes less effective, and the insect population rebounds despite repeated treatments. upon consulting with agricultural scientists, he learns that the pest population has evolved because some individuals carried genetic traits that allowed them to survive exposure to the pesticide. what is the process called when a population of pests is no longer affected by a chemical due to genetic changes in the population?

the pest population grows extremely large because of incorrect or excessive application of chemicals
the pest population changes genetically through natural selection so that surviving individuals pass on resistance traits, making the population no longer affected by the pesticide
the pest population becomes so large that the chemicals can no longer control the numbers effectively
the pest population becomes unaffected by chemicals simply because the pesticides do not break down in the environment

Explanation:

Pest populations evolving resistance to pesticides is a biological concept. The incorrect option is about the population being too large for chemicals (not related to genetic resistance).

Answer:

The pest population grows extremely large because of excessive application of chemicals.