Question

cer - analyzing data and tiger sharks
the population of tiger sharks off the coast of florida was recorded over several months. the following data was taken:
table: month (jan, feb, mar, apr, may, june, july, aug, sept, oct, nov, dec) and number of sharks (12, 15, 25, 35, 38, 35, 40, 50, 62, 75, 80, 95)

1. create a line graph of the data on the grid below. time (months) is your independent variable and it should go on the x axis. be sure to label the axes and give your graph a title.

graph grid with partial plotting: number of sharks (y-axis), time (months) (x-axis), title: number of sharks each month off the coast of florida

1. the number of seals was also recorded during this time, though lack of funding resulted in not as many data points being taken. add seal data to the graph above; label and color code the two lines.

table: month (jan, feb, mar, apr, may, june, july, aug, sept, oct, nov, dec) and number of seals (blank, blank, 50, blank, 35, blank, 40, blank, 30, blank, blank, 15)

1. make a claim about how tiger sharks and seal populations are related.
2. use evidence from your graph to support that claim. summarize trends observed in the graphs.
3. provide reasoning to connect evidence to the claim. (if ____ occurs, then ____ will be observed)

Explanation:

Question 3:

To determine the relationship, we analyze the population trends. Tiger sharks (predator) and seals (prey) often have a predator - prey relationship where one population's change affects the other. As tiger shark numbers increase, we expect seal numbers to decrease (if sharks prey on seals) and vice versa.

1. First, identify the trends of each population from the graph.

• Tiger sharks: From Jan to Dec, the number of tiger sharks generally increases (Jan:12, Dec:95).
• Seals: From the available data (Mar:50, May:35, July:40, Sept:30, Dec:15), the number of seals generally decreases over time.

1. Then, compare the two trends. When tiger shark numbers rise (e.g., from Mar to Dec, shark numbers go from 25 to 95), seal numbers fall (Mar:50, Dec:15). When tiger shark numbers had a small dip (May - June, sharks from 38 to 35), seal numbers were relatively stable or had a small change.

In a predator - prey relationship, the predator (tiger shark) feeds on the prey (seal). So if the number of predators (tiger sharks) increases, they will consume more prey (seals), leading to a decrease in the prey population. Conversely, if the number of predators decreases, the prey population may increase as there is less predation pressure. We use this ecological principle to connect the evidence (trends in populations) to the claim (predator - prey relationship).

Answer:

The tiger shark and seal populations have a predator - prey relationship, where an increase in tiger shark population is associated with a decrease in seal population and a decrease in tiger shark population is associated with an increase in seal population.

Question 4: