Researchers simulated street lighting on artificial grassland plots containing pea-aphids, sap-sucking insects, at night. These were exposed to two different types of light – a white light similar to newer commercial LED lights and an amber light similar to sodium street lamps. The low intensity amber light was shown to inhibit, rather than induce, flowering in a wild plant of the pea family which is a source of food for the pea-aphids in grasslands. The number of aphids was also significantly suppressed under the light treatment due to the limited amount of food available. Which one of the following statements best reflects the most critical inference that can be made from the passage given above?

Option (a) is incorrect: The passage does not compare the effects of white and amber lights. It focuses on the specific effects of amber light on the flowering of plants and the population of pea-aphids. Option (b) is correct: The passage discusses the adverse effects of artificial lighting, particularly amber light, on the ecosystem, including its impact on plant flowering and aphid population. Option (c) is incorrect: There is no direct comparison between the effects of white and amber lights on plant flowering mentioned in the passage. The focus is solely on the impact of amber light. Option (d) is incorrect: While the passage discusses the adverse effects of artificial lighting, it does not suggest whether proper intensity of light would be beneficial. It focuses on the negative impacts of artificial lighting on the ecosystem. Therefore, only Statement 2 logically follows from the passage.