Ecologists studying endangered forest elephants in a central African preserve recently introduced an automated acoustic monitoring network to track herd movements via low-frequency infrasound calls. The researchers hypothesized that installing these acoustic sensors at key waterholes would allow them to accurately estimate total elephant population trends across the preserve over time. However, skeptics argued that because elephants frequently travel between waterholes, acoustic detections at waterholes would lead to double-counting individual animals, thereby rendering population trend estimates unreliable.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the ecologists' argument?
- Each elephant's low-frequency call possesses a unique vocal signature that allows the automated software to identify and distinguish individual animals across different sensor locations.Cevap
- BDense forest canopy weakens low-frequency sound waves during the rainy season, reducing the effective detection radius of the acoustic sensors.
- CForest elephants consume significantly greater volumes of water per day during dry seasons than savanna elephants do.
- DAcoustic monitoring networks are less expensive to maintain over long periods than satellite tracking collars.
- EAutomated acoustic networks have been successfully deployed to track bird migration patterns in temperate coastal ecosystems.
Cevap
The statement showing that each elephant possesses a unique vocal signature allowing the software to distinguish individual animals across locations provides the strongest support.
The core objection raised against the ecologists' hypothesis is that elephants traveling between waterholes will be counted multiple times, distorting the overall population estimates. The statement providing that each elephant has a unique vocal signature that automated software uses to track individuals directly resolves this issue. By demonstrating that double-counting can be avoided, the finding defends the validity of the data and strongly supports the conclusion that population trends can be estimated accurately.
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Anahtar Kavram
Strengthening an Argument by Neutralizing a Key Objection / Ruling Out Data Distortion