Which one of the following is an appropriate example of sexual deceit?
Answer: (B) Ophrys and bumblebee. Answer: (B) Ophrys and bumblebee.
- A.Female wasp and fig
- B.Ophrys and bumblebee✓
- C.Sea anemone and clown fish
- D.Cuckoo and crow
Correct Answer
(B) Ophrys and bumblebee
Solution & Explanation
Answer: (B) Ophrys and bumblebee. The Mediterranean orchid Ophrys employs 'sexual deceit' for pollination: one petal mimics the female bee in size, colour and markings, so the male bee 'pseudocopulates' with the flower and gets dusted with pollen. The other options are different interactions — female wasp & fig = mutualism, sea anemone & clown fish = commensalism, cuckoo & crow = brood parasitism. Hence B. NCERT: Ch 11, p.202, lines 27-34 — "The Mediterranean orchid Ophrys employs ‘sexual deceit’ to get pollination done by a species of bee. One petal of its flower bears an uncanny resemblance to the female of the bee in size, colour and markings. The male bee is attracted to what it perceives as a female, ‘pseudocopulates’ with the flower, and during that process is dusted with pollen from the flower."