A major chemical spill occurred five years ago at Bakerâs Beach, the worldâs sole nesting ground for Merrick sea turtles, and pr
evented nearly all the eggs laid that year from hatching. Yet the number of adult female Merricks returning to lay their eggs at Bakerâs Beach has actually increased somewhat since five years ago. Clearly, environmentalistsâ prediction that the worldâs Merrick population would decline as a result of the spill has proven unfounded. Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument offered in refutation of the environmentalistsâ prediction?
A. The chemical spill five years ago occurred at a time when there were neither Merrick sea turtles nor Merrick sea turtle eggs on Bakerâs Beach.
B. Female Merrick sea turtles begin returning to Bakerâs Beach to lay their eggs when they are ten years old.
C. Under normal conditions, only a small proportion of hatchling female Merrick sea turtles survive in the ocean until adulthood and return to lay their eggs at Bakerâs Beach.
D. Environmental pressures unrelated to the chemical spill have caused a significant decline in the population of one of the several species of sea birds that prey on Merrick sea turtle eggs.
E. After the chemical spill, an environmental group rejected a proposal to increase the Merrick sea turtle population by transferring eggs from Bakerâs Beach to nearby beaches that had not been affected by the spill.
<em>B. Female Merrick sea turtles begin returning to Bakerâs Beach to lay their eggs when they are ten years old.</em>
Explanation:
Firstly, There was an oil spill five years ago-no eggs hatched.
Now, the number of females coming back to the lay eggs has increased somewhat since the last five years.
The theory is that a period of 5 years is sufficient to assess effect on population.
If the breeding cycle has been found to be ten years long, then the impact of the oil spill on the population (as observed by the number of females returning to lay eggs) will only be perceived in the 10th year.
It undermines the argument that the oil spills don't impact the public.
