Question at position 40 Evaluate the following statement: "the Western honey bee is very good at beekeeping".True since natural selection has sharpened their surviving skills over millions of yearsFalse and that species would have gone extinct if Humans had not started taking care of them a few thousand years ago

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When evaluating the statement about the Western honey bee and beekeeping, we start by looking at each option in turn. 
Option 1: 'True since natural selection has sharpened their surviving skills over millions of years' — This explains that honey bees possess evolved traits that enable efficient foraging, colony defense, and social organization, which can be interpreted as contributing to their success in natural environments. The idea is that natural selection has shaped many aspects of bee biology and behavior over long timescales, which supports the notion that bees are well-suited to their ecological niche. In the context of beekeeping, this option aligns with the view that bees have robust natural abilities that humans can manage and support, rather than implying perfect or flawless care. 
Option 2: 'False and that species would have gone extinct if Humans had not started taking care of them a few thousand years ago' — This claim overstates human necessity for bee survival. While human beekeeping has indeed helped manage some bee populations, honey bees have persisted for millions of years before humans began keeping them, and many wild bee populations would have persisted or adapted without human intervention. The assertion that they would have gone extinct solely due to lack of human care is incorrect because it ignores the bees’ ecological resilience and the existence of wild, unmanaged colonies and other pollinators that can sustain ecosystems. Additionally, it conflates domesticated beekeeping with the broader existence of wild honey bees, which are not entirely dependent on human management for survival. 
A broader understanding helps: the first option emphasizes evolved traits contributing to their effectiveness in natural contexts, while the second option incorrectly attributes survival primarily to human intervention and implies imminent extinction without it, which is not supported by evidence of bees’ long evolutionary history and ecological adaptability. In summary, the reasoning of option 1 is consistent with evolutionary biology, whereas option 2 misrepresents the role of humans in bee survival and ecosystem dynamics.

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