The following table shows data about a population of red pandas.
Data Collected from a Red Panda Population Over Time
Generation 1 2 3 4 5
Average mass of red panda 4.6 kg 4.6 kg 4.5 kg 4.4 kg 4.3 kg
Nucleotide Diversity in Population 0.000625 0.0005575 0.0004255 0.0003523 0.0003523
Population Size 48 47 44 44 42
Deforested Land (acres) 150 150 450 4,500 54,000
If you wanted to present evidence that red panda populations were becoming less diverse over time, which choice correctly identifies the independent and dependent variables you would choose to use in your graph?
Independent = Generation and Dependent = Nucleotide Diversity
Independent = Nucleotide Diversity and Dependent = Generation
Independent = Generation and Dependent = Acres of Deforested Land
Independent = Acres of Deforested Land and Dependent = Generation
3 answers
Independent = Generation and Dependent = Nucleotide Diversity
This is because you want to show how nucleotide diversity in the red panda population changes over each generation, making generation the independent variable and nucleotide diversity the dependent variable.