Question

in the early 1900s, fire ants came to the mainland united states aboard ships that had docked in their native south america. within several years, fire ants had spread across the southern u.s. and were causing problems. what could explain this behavior?

a. fire ants do not allow any other ants in their territory, but when they are eradicated, the other ants can resurface.

b. all the species of ants are dying out because of the warmer weather.

c. only the fire ants are becoming resistant to the chemical pesticides.

d. because fire ants are an introduced species, they do not socialize with the other ants. when they are removed, the other ant species become more active.

Explanation:

• Option A: Fire ants being territorial and preventing other ants from being active in their area until eradicated makes sense as a possible explanation for the described behavior.
• Option B: There is no indication in the problem statement that warmer weather is causing ant species to die out.
• Option C: The problem does not mention anything about chemical pesticides and fire ants' resistance to them.
• Option D: Just because fire ants are an introduced species does not necessarily mean they don't socialize with other ants in a way that would explain the described behavior.

Answer:

A. Fire ants do not allow any other ants in their territory, but when they are eradicated, the other ants can resurface.