Question

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.

Answer 1

Answer:

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.