Text 1
Marine biologist Dr. Clara Thorne argues that the rise in anthropogenic ocean noise, particularly from commercial shipping vessels, poses a severe threat to baleen whale populations. Because these ships produce low-frequency sounds that overlap directly with the communication bands of whales, the animals' capacity to navigate, locate prey, and coordinate social behaviors is drastically impaired. Thorne insists that the only viable solution to protect these marine mammals is to implement strict restrictions on shipping lanes, forcing vessels to bypass critical whale habitats entirely.
Text 2
Economist Dr. Aris Mendoza maintains that while commercial shipping noise does intersect with the acoustic range of baleen whales, calls for route restrictions are premature. Mendoza points to recent bioacoustic studies showing that many whale populations exhibit significant behavioral plasticity, successfully modifying the pitch, volume, and timing of their calls to be heard over background noise. According to Mendoza, these adaptive responses suggest that whales can cope with current noise levels, making costly shipping diversions unnecessary.
Based on the texts, how would Mendoza (Text 2) most likely respond to Thorne's proposal to restrict shipping lanes?
- ABy agreeing that shipping restrictions are the only way to help whales modify their communication habits.
- BBy claiming that shipping noise does not actually overlap with the frequency bands used by whales.
- By arguing that the restriction is unnecessary because whales can adjust their communication patterns to cope with shipping noise.Cevap
- DBy suggesting that shipping routes should be altered to actively guide whales toward new habitats.