To reduce severe crop damage caused by an invasive species of burrowing rodents, agricultural authorities in a rural valley plan to introduce a native raptor species known to prey heavily on small mammals. The authorities reason that establishing a population of these raptors in the valley will significantly decrease the rodent population, thereby protecting local grain harvests. Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?
- The invasive rodents forage and move exclusively underground at night, whereas the raptors hunt strictly during daylight hours above open ground.Cevap
- BA neighboring agricultural district successfully controlled its rodent population two years ago by deploying ultrasonic deterrent devices.
- CThe raptor species tends to reproduce more rapidly in agricultural valleys than in its natural forest habitat.
- DCrop losses resulting from fungal infections in the valley were higher than losses caused by rodents during the previous growing season.
- ELocal farming associations strongly support the raptor program because it avoids the environmental hazards associated with chemical poisons.
Cevap
The argument is most seriously weakened by the fact that the invasive rodents forage exclusively underground at night while the raptors hunt strictly during daylight hours above ground.
The conclusion relies on the assumption that introducing raptors will result in significant predation of the invasive rodents. The correct option shows a complete temporal and spatial mismatch: the rodents are active only underground at night, while the raptors hunt only above ground during the day. Because the raptors will not encounter the rodents, the plan cannot achieve its goal of reducing the rodent population.
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Anahtar Kavram
Causal Plan Weakening (Behavioral and Temporal Mismatch)