Phoebe is taking samples from a lake to determine how the populations of aquatic life change during the summer. Each week for a
month she takes samples from different areas of the lake. Over the course of a month, she finds the marine life listed in the chart below. What should Phoebe change about her methodology to better address her question? Week 1
Location 1
Week 2
Location 2
Week 3
Location 3
Week 4
Location 4
Insects
13
20
18
15
Crawfish
8
15
20
22
Fish
3
11
13
12
Other
5
2
8
4
B.) Take samples from the same location each time.
Explanation:
The original answer choices to this question are the following:
Provide details about the creatures in the "other" category.
Take samples from the same location each time.
Collect samples from nearby lakes for comparison.
Use a more sophisticated net to collect smaller creatures.
Phoebe should take samples from the same location, rather than four different locations. This will overall give her more accurate and reliable results. Some areas of the lake will have more or less wildlife depending on what predators and prey live. She must have a control variable in this survey, otherwise her data will not be correct.
