The bark-girding damage by voles most directly threatens which part of the plant?

The bark-girding damage by voles most directly threatens which part of the plant?

• A. The base of the plant
• B. The upper canopy
• C. The flower petals
• D. The fruit

Answer: (A)

When bark is girdled at the base, the plant’s vascular link between the roots and the rest of the plant is severed. Voles chew around the stem near the soil, removing the protective bark and damaging the phloem and cambium at the root collar. This stops sugars and other nutrients from moving between the roots and the shoot system, so the plant can’t sustain the upper growth or even itself from the roots. Because the disruption occurs at the base where the root and stem meet, that part is the most directly threatened. The other parts—the upper canopy, flower petals, and fruit—aren’t directly involved in this transport disruption. They may suffer indirectly if the plant declines, but the immediate, direct damage from bark girdling happens at the base.

When bark is girdled at the base, the plant’s vascular link between the roots and the rest of the plant is severed. Voles chew around the stem near the soil, removing the protective bark and damaging the phloem and cambium at the root collar. This stops sugars and other nutrients from moving between the roots and the shoot system, so the plant can’t sustain the upper growth or even itself from the roots. Because the disruption occurs at the base where the root and stem meet, that part is the most directly threatened.

The other parts—the upper canopy, flower petals, and fruit—aren’t directly involved in this transport disruption. They may suffer indirectly if the plant declines, but the immediate, direct damage from bark girdling happens at the base.