Ecologists studying cryptic forest mammals often struggle to estimate population densities because traditional camera-trap surveys fail to detect nocturnal or highly mobile species. To address this monitoring limitation, researcher Sarah Jenkins and her team proposed utilizing arboreal environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling, which retrieves genetic material shed by animals into the canopy air. By analyzing air filters deployed in the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, the researchers successfully identified several rare mammalian species that had eluded camera detection. While Jenkins acknowledges that atmospheric conditions can affect eDNA dispersal, she maintains that canopy air sampling represents a significant advancement in biodiversity monitoring.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
- AIt presents a hypothesis about animal behavior, outlines an experiment designed to test this hypothesis, summarizes the findings of the experiment, and concludes that the initial hypothesis was correct.
- It identifies a research challenge, introduces a novel method designed to address it, details a study demonstrating the method's efficacy, and acknowledges a limitation while affirming the method's overall utility.Answer
- CIt compares two established methods of tracking forest wildlife, argues that one method is superior under all environmental conditions, and suggests improvements to the less effective method.
- DIt describes a specific species of forest mammal, details the historical decline of its population density, proposes a conservation plan to prevent its extinction, and evaluates the financial costs of the plan.