Question

When using the comparative method (planned comparisons) to study why Red Phalaropes (a shorebird) lay unusually small eggs, the most useful data would come from: Select one: a. Wilson’s Phalaropes, a closely related species, which also lays small eggs. b. Tasmanian Galinules, a distantly related bird that lays small eggs. c. some closely related Phalarope species that lays large eggs. d. b and c are more useful than a.

Answer 1

The correct answer is option d) b and c are more useful than a.

The comparative method is a statistical method which is used to study and analyze various physical traits. In this, the differences or similarities between the species that have evolved independently are considered. The option (b) involves a distantly related bird and option (c) involves some related species that lay large eggs. These two characteristics are different and have evolved independently, therefore, their data will be more useful to analyze the underlying cause of unusual small eggs.