Question

A pod of bottlenose dolphins is showing signs of stress in the Gulf of Mexico. Why would it be important for scientists to study the age structure of the pod?
Age structure would help scientists determine if the problem exists with young or old dolphins.
Age structure would help scientists determine where the dolphins have been and why.
Age structure would help scientists determine if there is a high mortality rate amongst the dolphins.
Age structure would help scientists determine if the dolphins have been suffering from biomagnification.

Answer 1

Age structure would help scientists determine if the problem exists with young or old dolphins.

The age structure shows the distribution of the ages of the individuals in a population. This not only shows the type of change taking place in the population (increasing, decreasing or staying the same) but also is able to help us relate problems to ages. By determining the which age group is more stressed, the scientists will be able to narrow down the causes of the stress and create more accurate hypotheses.