Nitrogen Stable Isotopes Are Useful Tools for the Study of Food

question 23

Multiple Choice

Nitrogen stable isotopes are useful tools for the study of food web structure because isotope ratios

• A) change in predictable ways across trophic levels.
• B) often vary among alternative food sources for a consumer.
• C) for a predator exactly match the isotope ratio in its prey.
• D) both change in predictable ways across trophic levels and often vary among alternative food sources for a consumer.

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Definitions:

Binomial Distributions

A probability distribution that summarizes the likelihood that a variable will take one of two independent values under a given number of observations.

Normal Distributions

Bell-shaped curves that are used in statistics to represent the distribution of a data set where most values cluster around a central region.

Normal Probability Distribution

A bell-shaped distribution that is symmetrical around the mean, representing the distribution of many types of data.

Continuous Variables

Variables that can take on an infinite number of values or levels.