Logical Reasoning

PT155 · S4 · Q10 Many species of plants produce

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Many species of plants produce nectars known as extrafloral nectories (EFNs), which are known to attract certain ants that defend the plants against leaf-eating insects.

Conclusion

These jumping spiders are defending EFN-producing plants against leaf-eating insects.

Evidence

Studies show that spiders are attracted to EFN plants way more than to non-EFN plants, and ants that are attracted to EFN-producing plants defend the plants against leaf-eating insects.

Evaluate

We might think of this as Curious Fact / Explanation, but it might feel a little weird. If we were asking, , it's not like the Explanation would be .

So it's more about an argument by Analogy. Ants are attracted to EFNs and defend it against leaf-eaters. Spiders are also attracted to EFN's and thus probably also defend it against leaf-eaters?

We don't have any reason to believe that these jumping spiders are so charitable. They might be jumping in, sucking up that nectar, and then moving on.

Goal

We need some reason to believe that spiders are also protecting the plants from leaf-eating insects. It could be anything from , to something like "jumping spiders' favorite dessert is leaf-eating insects".

10.

Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument above?

For many species of nectar-producing
Too Weak / Unclear Impact
It's a pretty obvious truism to say that "for many species, they thrive more when they're protected from things that want to eat them". This argument specifically cares about EFNs, which are a specific type of nectar-producing plant. This answer is about any ol' nectar-producing plant.
3% picked this
Correct
In field experiments, the introduction
Why this is right
This boosts the plausibility of the idea that jumping spiders protect EFNs from leaf-eaters, because when you put jumping spiders into an environment, you see a big increase in EFN's, suggesting that now that spiders are walking the streets, policing EFNville, you don't see many leaf-eaters destroying EFN property. The fact that the presence of these spiders is followed by EFNs' thriving suggests that these spiders have a positive effect on EFNs' lives, which could plausibly be from keeping leaf-eaters away.
Skill tested: Strengthen · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
88% picked this
Some species of EFN-producing plants
Too Weak
This says "some" species can't survive without "some" outside agent. That's basically giving us one weak data point. There's at least one species that needs at least one other thing to protect it from leaf-eating insects. Could that "outside agent" be a jumping spider? Sure. Could it just be the aforementioned ants? Sure. Something else? Sure. It's too vague to make any impact.
3% picked this
Experiments with types of spiders
Weakens, if anything
This lowers the plausibility that a jumping spider is defending EFN plants, if it's not a known behavior among any other spiders.
5% picked this
Regions with large populations of
Unrelated to Goal
We don't need to hear anything about ants. We're trying to figure out whether these jumping spiders just rob the EFN's nectar or whether they also help the EFN survive by warding off leaf-eating insects.
1% picked this

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