Ruminants Are Hoofed Animals Such as Cattle and Sheep

question 13

Essay

Ruminants are hoofed animals such as cattle and sheep. Two categories of ruminants are browsers (leaf eaters) and grazers (grass eaters). Some biologists believe that the incisor arcade, that part of the mouth between the incisors, is shaped differently for browsers and grazers, and that might explain their food selection. The "curvature" of an incisor arcade is a measure of its shape, with large values indicating a long, thin mouth, and small values a shorter, wider mouth. The back-to-back stem plot below compares the curvatures of incisor arcades of a sample of species of browsers and grazers in the ruminant family. ​ (a) Briefly describe each of the two curvature distributions, browsers and grazers, noting any unusual features of the data. (b) The theory of some biologists is that browsers have thinner mouths because the browse plants frequently have thorns and spines; browsers have evolved to have thinner mouths to get beyond the thorns and spines to the food part of the plant. Is the data in the back-to-back stem plot consistent with this theory? What aspect of the data would you consider when answering this question?

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Definitions:

Bulimia Nervosa

An eating disorder characterized by episodes of binge eating followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors such as purging, fasting, or excessive exercise.

Self-evaluation

The process of assessing one's own abilities, performance, or qualities, often with the goal of personal or professional improvement.

Anorexia Nervosa

A disorder related to eating that involves significantly low body weight, a strong fear of weight gain, and an inaccurate view of one's body size or form.

Relapse

The return of symptoms of a disease after a period of improvement.