Question

Explain in a list of steps how the development of pesticide resistance in agricultural pests

(weeds, for example) occurs. List all the steps in the process, showing how this is an example of

evolution by natural selection. Be as thorough and detailed as possible.

Answer 1

a) A pest is any animal or plant detrimental to humans or human concerns, including crops, livestock, and forestry, among others. Pesticides are substance that are meat to control pests, including weeds.

Pesticides are known for their ability to develop resistance to pesticides. Upon exposure to pesticides, pests that do not carry the resistance genes die, thus allowing the individuals with the resistance genes to survive and reproduce, creating more resistance pests.

Herbicide resistance is the inherited ability of a plant to survive and reproduce following exposure to a does of herbicide that would normally be lethal to the wild plant. Resistance happens with the repeated use of the same herbicide, or herbicides with similar modes of action on a weed population.

Herbicide resistance is the inherited ability of an induvidual plant to survive a herbicide application that would kill a normal population of the same species. Resistance weeds can often survive application of herbicide at rates that are much greater than the recommended rate.

Herbicide resistance is the inherited ability of a plant to survive and produce following exposure to a dose of herbicide that would normally be lethal to the wild plant. That small genetic differences allows the weeds from those seeds to overcome the effects of that herbicides as they germinate.

b) Pesticide resistance describes the decreased suceptibility of a pest population to a pesticide that was prevously effective at controlling the pest. Pest species evolve pesticide resistance via natural selection. The most resistant specimens survive and pass on their acquired heritable changes traits to their offsprings.

The evolution of pesticide resistance is usually discussed as a result ofvpesticide use, it is important to keep in mind that pest populations can also adapt to non- chemical methods of control. For example, the northern corn rootworm become adapted to a corn- soybean crop rotation by spending the year when field is planted to soybeans in a diapause.