Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumCommand of Evidence: Textual

Evolutionary biologist Dr. Sonia Alvarez investigated how urbanization affects the diet of the green anole lizard (*Anolis carolinensis*). Alvarez hypothesized that because urban environments are warmer than nearby forests due to the urban heat island effect, urban green anoles experience elevated metabolic rates. To maintain their energy balance under these conditions, Alvarez proposed that urban lizards selectively forage for prey items with higher lipid densities, such as beetles and spiders, rather than lower-lipid prey like flies and ants.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support Alvarez's hypothesis?

  1. A
    Laboratory studies showed that green anoles maintained at typical urban temperatures and typical forest temperatures did not exhibit any significant differences in their baseline metabolic rates.
  2. Stomach content analyses of wild green anoles revealed that the prey consumed by urban populations had a significantly higher average lipid concentration than the prey consumed by forest populations.Answer
  3. C
    Urban green anoles were found to consume a larger total quantity of prey than forest green anoles did, even though the species composition of their diets was identical.
  4. D
    Forest green anoles that were relocated to urban environments adjusted to the warmer temperatures within a few weeks without changing their physical activity levels.

Answer

Stomach content analyses of wild green anoles revealed that the prey consumed by urban populations had a significantly higher average lipid concentration than the prey consumed by forest populations.
The hypothesis states that urban lizards selectively forage for prey items with higher lipid densities to support higher metabolic rates caused by warmer temperatures. Finding that the prey consumed by urban populations has a significantly higher average lipid concentration than that of forest populations directly supports this claim by providing empirical evidence of this dietary difference.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the author's primary hypothesis in the passage.
The hypothesis is that warmer temperatures in urban heat islands cause higher metabolic rates in urban green anoles, requiring them to selectively consume prey with higher lipid densities to maintain energy balance.
Understanding the core claim is necessary to determine what kind of evidence is needed to support it.
2
Determine the characteristics of evidence that would support this hypothesis.
The supporting evidence must demonstrate that urban lizards indeed consume food with higher lipid densities compared to forest lizards.
This establishes the link between the claim and the logical evidence required.
3
Evaluate the given choices to find the one that shows a difference in dietary lipid content between urban and forest lizards.
The finding that prey consumed by urban populations had a significantly higher average lipid concentration than prey consumed by forest populations matches the prediction of the hypothesis.
Matching the options to the criteria allows selection of the correct answer.

Key Concept

Command of Evidence: Textual
Estimated Time:1m 30s
Rate this question

Topics

Command of Evidence: Textual

More questions from this topic