How does pesticide resistance in an organism allow it to survive?

• A. Completely metabolizes the pesticide to nontoxic forms
• B. Excretes the pesticide before it reaches toxic levels
• C. Stores the pesticide in fat and muscle tissues
• D. Tolerates the toxic effects of the pesticide

Answer: (D)

Pesticide resistance means an organism can survive exposure to a pesticide that would normally cause harm. The best description of this is that the organism tolerates the toxic effects of the pesticide. In resistant individuals, the toxin’s damage is less critical to their survival, whether through physiological tolerance, efficient detoxification, or other adaptations that keep vital processes from being disrupted. Over generations, survivors pass on these traits, spreading resistance in the population. Some specific mechanisms can involve metabolizing or excreting the pesticide, but the essential outcome is enduring the toxin rather than being killed by it.