The process of science is not limited to acquiring and visualizing data (as you did in Part B). Analysis and interpretation of the data are also essential parts of scientific investigation. The graph that you produced in Part B is reproduced here.A graph of chirps per minute as a function of temperature. Chirps per minute are measured from 70 to 130 chirps on the y-axis, while the temperature is measured from 10 to 30 degrees Celsius on the x-axis. There are two lines in the graph. The first line labeled Snowy tree cricket goes up from 98 chirps per minute at 15 degrees Celsius to 128 chirps per minute at 30 degrees Celsius. The second line labeled Common field cricket goes up from 73 chirps per minute at 15 degrees Celsius to 100 chirps per minute at 30 degrees Celsius.

Question

Which three of the following statements are valid conclusions that could be drawn from the graph above?
View Available Hint(s)for Part C

It is possible for a male snowy tree cricket and a male field cricket to sing with the same chirp rate, but only at different temperatures.
The change in chirp rate with each change in temperature is similar for the two species.
The difference between the chirp rates of the two species remains fairly constant across the range of temperatures tested.
Crickets of these two species sing only at temperatures between 15 °C and 30 °C.

Answer 1

Based on the description of the graph, the following three statements can be considered valid conclusions:

1. It is possible for a male snowy tree cricket and a male field cricket to sing with the same chirp rate, but only at different temperatures.
   This statement is valid because the chirp rates overlap at certain temperatures—meaning that for a given chirp rate, one species could be at a lower temperature while the other is at a higher temperature.

2. The difference between the chirp rates of the two species remains fairly constant across the range of temperatures tested.
   This statement appears to be valid if the gap between the chirp rates for the two species doesn't vary dramatically as temperature changes (which can be inferred if the lines are relatively parallel).

3. Crickets of these two species sing only at temperatures between 15 °C and 30 °C.
   This statement is not valid as per the information provided in the graph. The data only show chirp rates within that specific temperature range; it does not imply that they do not chirp outside this range, just that no data was collected for temperatures lower than 15 °C or higher than 30 °C.

The second statement regarding the change in chirp rate with each change in temperature being similar for the two species would likely not be valid unless explicitly shown in the graph data; thus, it is not listed in the valid conclusions. Therefore, the valid conclusions are the first and the second statements, and the third statement is indeed not a valid conclusion.