Question

(Experimental Design) You are a research biologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR). You have discovered that the highly piscivorous (i.e., fish-eating) flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) was illegally introduced in the Satilla River (in Southeast Georgia). Shortly after the introduction, GA-DNR biologists observed a substantial decline in the abundance of the native redbreast sunfish population. You are concerned that the native redbreast sunfish may be naive to this exotic predator and, as a result, not possess the necessary adaptations to evade predation. As the lead research biologist at the agency, you have been put in charge to learn more about this interaction between the introduced predator and native prey species. Your superiors hope that this new information may help in the management of this introduced species.
You have a fully complete and well equipped aquatics laboratory, with all of the research tanks and resources that you will need to conduct experiments. Your lab technicians have already randomly sampled 5 flathead catfish from the introduced population, 50 redbreast sunfish that do not co-occur with flathead catfish in nature (i.e.. redbreast sunfish that are naive to this predator), and 50 redbreast sunfish that have co-evolved with flathead catfish in nature (i.e., redbreast sunfish that may possess the necessary adaptations to evade predation). All of these live animals have been stocked separately in tanks in your laboratory and are available to you for experiments. PLEASE BE CREATIVE AND PROVIDE VERY THOROUGH ANSWERS!
1) What is your research question?
2) What is your null hypothesis?
3) What are your alternative hypotheses? (Remember that you may have more than one alternative hypothesis.) Provide some predictions that you can test experimentally.
4) What is your experimental design? Propose a thorough design with proper controls, treatments, variables (independent and dependent), and replication AND be sure to include the statistical test that you will use to analyze your data. DO NOT MAKE UP DATA. YOU ARE PROPOSING AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN HERE. (You can either type out your answers below, OR upload an image of your answers, but please write clearly! If I can't read it, I can't grade it!).

Answer 1

1. The research question is 'The evolutionary features that the naitive redbreast sunfish lack to escape predation from flathead catfish'.

2. The null hypothesis is 'Both the native rebreast sunfish species and the species that has co-evolved with the flathead catfish are equally prone to predation'.

3. The alternate hypothesis is 'The evolutionary features of the redbreast species that has co-existed with the catfish species allow it to escape predation from catfish by either detecting its presence or developing some defense mechanisms'.

4. The given hypothesis can be tested by observing the interactions of the given species fishes in the same tank. Two other tanks should be used to observe the interaction of catfish and teh native redbreast species, and the catfish and the evolved redbreast species.