SAT OwlMany plants produce caffeine in their leaves and seeds, where it is toxic to insects that try to eat them. Some plants, including certain citrus and coffee species, also produce small amounts of caffeine in their nectar. Researchers found that bees that fed on caffeinated nectar were more likely to remember a flower's scent and return to it than bees that fed on nectar without caffeine. The caffeine in the nectar was far too dilute to harm the bees. These findings suggest that the caffeine in nectar ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
protects the plants' nectar from being consumed by bees.
is produced only by plants that are not pollinated by insects.
impairs bees' memory when they consume large amounts of it.
may benefit the plants by encouraging bees to return rather than by driving them away.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
In nectar, caffeine is too weak to harm bees and makes them more likely to remember and revisit the flower. Repeat visits by pollinators help plants, so the caffeine likely works as an attraction rather than a defense, as choice D states.
Choice A applies caffeine's role in leaves and seeds to nectar, but the findings show bees returning more, not being deterred.
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