Suppose two trees were

damaged by two different

bark-eating animals. The

first animal ate a ring of

bark all the way around

the tree. The second

animal ate the same

amount of bark as the

first, but peeled it off as

a vertical strip. Did the

two animals do the same

amount of damage to the

trees? Explain your answer.

Question

Claire Arroyo

Biology

18 January, 18:37

Suppose two trees were

damaged by two different

bark-eating animals. The

first animal ate a ring of

bark all the way around

the tree. The second

animal ate the same

amount of bark as the

first, but peeled it off as

a vertical strip. Did the

two animals do the same

amount of damage to the

trees? Explain your answer.

+4

Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Francis Escobar · Answer 1

The first animal will do more damage as compared to the second one.

This is because eating in a circular manner will destroy the phloems and hence no transportation of food from the leaves to other parts of the plant will be able to occur.

Eating in a vertical manner will destroy some of the outer phloems but the inner ones on which the animal doesn't feed will remain intact and will be able to carry out their function.