Some strains of Bacillus thuringiensis produce proteins that kill certain insects. How many of the following pairs of insect and insect group are correctly matched?
A. Tobacco budworm – Lepidopterans
B. Beetles – Coleopterans
C. Mosquitoes – Lepidopterans
D. Armyworm – Dipterans
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Two
Proteins of some strains of Bacillus thuringiensis kill insects of three groups: lepidopterans (tobacco budworm, armyworm), coleopterans (beetles) and dipterans (flies, mosquitoes).
A. Tobacco budworm – Lepidopterans. Correctly matched. The tobacco budworm is a lepidopteran.
B. Beetles – Coleopterans. Correctly matched. Beetles form the group coleopterans.
C. Mosquitoes – Lepidopterans. Wrongly matched. Mosquitoes, like flies, are dipterans.
D. Armyworm – Dipterans. Wrongly matched. The armyworm is a lepidopteran, like the tobacco budworm.
So two pairs, A and B, are correct.
NCERT Extract:
Biotechnological Applications in Agriculture – “… Bt Cotton: Some strains of Bacillus thuringiensis produce proteins that kill certain insects such as lepidopterans (tobacco budworm, armyworm), coleopterans (beetles) and dipterans (flies, mosquitoes). B. thuringiensis forms protein crystals during a particular phase of their growth. These crystals contain a toxic insecticidal protein.”