What is the organism that may carry pests to new hosts, such as insects that can move disease from plant to plant?

What is the organism that may carry pests to new hosts, such as insects that can move disease from plant to plant?

• A. Vector
• B. Host
• C. Carrier
• D. Pollinator

Answer: (A)

A vector is the organism that carries and transmits pests or diseases from one host to another. In plant health, many diseases spread not by the plant itself but by an intermediary that moves pathogens as it feeds. For example, insects such as aphids or leafhoppers can pick up a virus from an infected plant and transfer it to healthy plants during feeding, helping the disease spread across turfgrass. The other terms describe different roles: the host is the plant that becomes infected; pollinators move pollen, not pathogens; and carrier isn’t the standard term used for an organism that actively transmits a disease between hosts. So the organism that moves disease from plant to plant is a vector.

A vector is the organism that carries and transmits pests or diseases from one host to another. In plant health, many diseases spread not by the plant itself but by an intermediary that moves pathogens as it feeds. For example, insects such as aphids or leafhoppers can pick up a virus from an infected plant and transfer it to healthy plants during feeding, helping the disease spread across turfgrass. The other terms describe different roles: the host is the plant that becomes infected; pollinators move pollen, not pathogens; and carrier isn’t the standard term used for an organism that actively transmits a disease between hosts. So the organism that moves disease from plant to plant is a vector.