Researchers studied four bird populations and recorded average clutch size (eggs per nest) and percentage of nests successfully fledging chicks: Population A, clutch 5.2, success 40%; Population B, clutch 4.8, success 65%; Population C, clutch 3.5, success 80%; Population D, clutch 2.9, success 90%. The researchers concluded that producing fewer eggs per clutch is associated with higher fledging success—a quality-over-quantity tradeoff. The data point most specifically supporting the claim that smaller clutches are associated with greater success is ______
Which choice most logically completes the text using the data above?
- Acheck_circle
the inverse pattern: as clutch size decreases from 5.2 (A) to 2.9 (D), success rises from 40% to 90%.
- B
Population D's success rate of 90%.
- C
Population B's intermediate values.
- D
Population A's clutch size of 5.2.
Explanation
The claim is about an inverse relationship between clutch size and success. Choice C explicitly identifies that monotonic inverse pattern across all four populations, which is the only choice that supports the relational claim. Individual values cannot support a tradeoff claim by themselves.