Which of the Following Investigations Would Provide the Most Informative

question 1

Multiple Choice

Which of the following investigations would provide the most informative data to use for predicting the future distribution of organisms in temperate regions that are faced with climate change?

• A) Remove, to the mineral soil, all of the organisms from an experimental plot, and monitor the colonization of the area over time in terms of both species diversity and abundance.
• B) Look at the climatic changes that occurred since the last ice age and how species redistributed as glaciers melted.
• C) Compare and contrast the flora and fauna of warm/cold/dry/wet climates to shed light on how they evolved to be suited to their present-day environment.
• D) Quantify the impact of human activities on present-day populations of threatened and endangered species to assess the rate of range contraction, expansion, or extinction.

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Definitions:

Ex Post Facto Design

An “after the fact” experimental design in which there is no control over experimental conditions.

Two-group Pretest

A research design involving two groups, where both are tested before the treatment or intervention is applied to one of them.

Control Group

In experimental research, a group of participants that does not receive the experimental treatment, serving as a comparison to evaluate the effect of the treatment.

Statistical Analysis

The process of using mathematical and statistical techniques to examine and interpret data sets to reveal patterns or trends.