Ecologist Dr. Sarah Jenkins and her team studied how forest fragmentation affects the seed-dispersal behavior of the red-knobbed hornbill ( ) in subtropical woodlands. Hornbills are vital to forest regeneration because they consume fruit whole and deposit seeds far from the parent trees. Jenkins hypothesized that because small, isolated forest patches offer fewer resources and greater exposure to edge effects, hornbills would restrict their foraging time in these smaller patches, ultimately leading to lower rates of seed dispersal within them than in larger, continuous forest areas. Which finding, if true, would most directly support Jenkins's hypothesis?
- Hornbills tracked during the study spent significantly less time foraging in forest patches under hectares than in tracts larger than hectares, and fewer seeds were successfully dispersed in the smaller patches.Cevap
- BThe species of fruit trees favored by the hornbills produced similar yields of fruit per tree in both small forest patches and large continuous tracts.
- CHornbills in smaller forest patches displayed higher levels of stress hormones, indicating that they perceived these fragmented environments as highly threatening.
- DThe overall population of red-knobbed hornbills in the region remained stable despite ongoing forest fragmentation and loss of continuous woodland habitats.
Cevap
The finding that tracked hornbills spent significantly less time foraging in smaller patches and successfully dispersed fewer seeds there than in larger tracts.
The correct option directly supports the hypothesis by providing data showing that hornbills spent less time foraging in smaller forest patches than in larger ones, and that this behavior correlated with a lower number of seeds successfully dispersed in those smaller patches.
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