Question

A species of moth has evolved a very long tongue to reach nectar at the bottom of a species of orchid. This orchid has evolved a long nectar tube, so that moths feeding on its nectar contact its pollen, helping it to reproduce. This is an example of:

Answer 1

Coevolution

Step-by-step explanation:

Coevolution is a process in which two species evolve together because they exert selective pressures mutually. This means that one of the species changes genetically in response to a genetic change in another species. Thus, both species reciprocally affect each other's evolution. These genetic changes, which go hand in hand, are reflected in the phenotypes, that is, in the morphological traits of the species.

The coevolution of plants (i.e the orchid) and pollinators (i.e the moth) is a typical example of coevolution. The flowering plant adapt to a pollinator, which in turn adapts to the plant. In this case, the nectar tube and the tongue of the moth coevolved together and the two species benefit from that. The orchid guarantees the dispersion of its pollen while the moth guarantees its food.