Treehoppers (a type of insect) produce honeydew, which ants use for food. Treehoppers have a major predator, the jumping spider. Researchers hypothesized that the ants would protect the treehoppers from the spiders. In an experiment, researchers followed study plots with ants removed from the system and compared them to a control plot. In the figure above, what can you conclude? - Ants eat the honeydew produced by treehoppers
- Ants do somehow protect the treehoppers from spiders.
- Ants reduce the numbers of treehoppers.
- No specific conclusions can be drawn from this figure.