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The Darwin orchid, Angraecum sesquipedale, is a flower found in Madagascar - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 1 - 2017 - Paper 1
Question 1
The Darwin orchid, Angraecum sesquipedale, is a flower found in Madagascar. It is pollinated by a species of hawk moth. Hawk moths feed from orchids using a long tu... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The Darwin orchid, Angraecum sesquipedale, is a flower found in Madagascar - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 1 - 2017 - Paper 1
Step 1
Explain which species of hawk moth is likely to feed on the nectar.
Answer
Species 2 is likely to feed on the nectar because it has a proboscis that is 25 mm long. This matches the length of the tube of the Darwin orchid, which is also 25 mm. Since the proboscis can reach the nectar, Species 2 can effectively feed from the orchid.
In contrast, Species 1 has a proboscis that is only 15 mm long, which would be insufficient to reach the nectar located deep within the orchid's tube.