Question

THE FEMININE TOUCHBy Niki WilsonSlipper limpets, a type of sea snail [ca racoll have evolved a reproductive strategy that makes the most of their size at different points in their lifetime. Smaller limpets are males, their tiny stature no barrier to producing energy-cheap sperm. Once larger, the limpets transition to females capable of investing energy into producing and sheltering multiple eggs.The exact size at which this sex change occurs varies between individuals. The presence of other slipper limpets can trigger or delay the change, but the mechanism behind this social influence has been unclear. A new study from biologists Rachel Collin and Allan Carrillo-Baltodano at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama provides the first step in solving this puzzle.The researchers hypothesized that slipper limpets affect each other either via a waterborne chemical cue, which is a prevalent mode of signaling among aquatic species, or via direct contact. They tested these possibilities in an experiment in which pairs of male limpets, one small and one large, were kept in plastic cups. In some cups the snails were free to touch each other, but in others a mesh screen separated the two, while still allowing water to flow between their compartments.It turned out that when limpets were allowed to touch one another, the larger males grew more quickly and generally changed into females faster than large males in the partitioned cups. The smaller snails in the contact condition also delayed sex change longer than those partitioned. Physical touch between individuals, not chemical messages carried through the water, thus plays an important role in timing the sex transition."That was kind of a surprise, "says Collin, given that slipper limpets spend most of their lives stationary and filter-feeding."What we don tknow is how that contact is facilitating transition."Adapted from Natural History March 2016.31According to the information in the article,A the reproductive process of slipper limpets is different from that of all other kinds of sea snails.B among slipper limpets, large males and small females are the main participants in the reproductive process.C small slipper limpets produce sperm and eggs more efficiently than do large slipper limpets.D the continued growth of a slipper limpet will eventually change the way it participates in the reproductive process.Ethe growth and size of a slipper limpet is fundamental in determining whetherit changes from male to female or from female to male.

Answer 1

O texto trata da maneira como uma espécie de caracol se reproduz. Essa espécie produziu uma maneira única de reprodução, onde ela consegue aproveitar da melhor maneira possível seu tamanho. Os pequenos caracóis são machos, produzindo maior quantidade de esperma. Quando crescem até certo ponto, eles viram fêmeas, de maneira a produzir e proteger os ovos. Portanto, a alternativa correta é a letra D, que diz que a fase de crescimento influencia nas atividades desenvolvidas, uma vez que eles podem estar atuando como machos ou fêmeas.