A team of researchers hypothesizes that wolves' presence in an ecosystem indirectly benefits beavers by causing elk to avoid certain riverbank areas, allowing willow growth that beavers depend on.
Which finding, if true, would most strongly support the team's hypothesis?
- A
Some willow species can grow rapidly.
- B
Beavers build dams from a variety of plant materials.
- Ccheck_circle
After wolves were reintroduced, elk avoided certain riverbanks, willow growth on those banks increased substantially, and beaver populations expanded along those waterways.
- D
Wolves and elk both inhabit a wide range of forest types.
Explanation
A traces the full causal chain from wolves to elk behavior to willow growth to beaver populations, exactly as the hypothesis predicts. B, C, and D are general facts.