Use the Figure to Answer the Following Question

question 39

Multiple Choice

Use the figure to answer the following question. Treehoppers (a type of insect) produce honeydew, which ants use for food. Treehoppers have a major predator, the jumping spider. Researchers hypothesized that the ants would protect the treehoppers from the spiders. In an experiment, researchers followed study plots with ants removed from the system and compared them to a control plot. Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the data provided in the figure?

• A) Ants do somehow protect the treehoppers from spiders.
• B) Ants eat the honeydew produced by treehoppers.
• C) Ants reduce the numbers of treehoppers.
• D) No specific conclusions can be drawn from this figure.

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Definitions:

Directional Null Hypothesis

A null hypothesis that specifies the direction of the expected difference or relationship between two variables, which is not a standard form of null hypothesis and might be considered a misinterpretation, as null hypotheses typically state there is no effect or difference.

Directional Alternative Hypothesis

A hypothesis that specifies the direction of an expected difference or relationship, not just the existence of a difference.

Non-directional Alternative Hypothesis

A non-directional alternative hypothesis is a type of hypothesis used in statistical testing that predicts a relationship between variables without specifying the direction of the relationship.

Non-directional Null Hypothesis

A type of null hypothesis that specifies there is no specific direction of difference or relationship between variables.