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The population of tiger sharks off the coast of Florida was recorded over several months. The following data was taken:

\begin{tabular}{|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|}
\hline Month & Jan & Feb & Mar & April & May & June & July & Aug & Sept & Oct & Nov & Dec \\
\hline \begin{tabular}{l}
Number \\
of sharks
\end{tabular} & 12 & 15 & 25 & 35 & 38 & 35 & 40 & 50 & 62 & 75 & 80 & 95 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}

1) Create a LINE graph of the data on the grid below. Time (months) is your independent variable and it should go on the X axis. Be sure to label the axes and give your graph a title.

2) The number of seals was also recorded during this time, though lack of funding resulted in not as many data points being taken. Add seal data to the graph above; label and color code the two lines.

\begin{tabular}{|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|}
\hline Month & Jan & Feb & Mar & April & May & June & July & Aug & Sept & Oct & Nov & Dec \\
\hline \begin{tabular}{l}
Number \\
of seals
\end{tabular} & 1 & 3 & 50 & - & 35 & 2 & 0 & & 30 & & 1 & 15 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}

3) Make a CLAIM about how tiger sharks and seal populations are related.

4) Use EVIDENCE from your graph to support that claim. Summarize trends observed in the graphs.

5) Provide REASONING to connect evidence to the claim. (If [tex]$\qquad$[/tex] occurs, then [tex]$\qquad$[/tex] will be observed)



Answer :

GinnyAnswer
Sure, let's go through each of these steps in detail.

### Step 1: Create a LINE graph for the tiger shark data:

1. Draw the axes:
- The X-axis represents the months.
- The Y-axis represents the number of animals.
- Label the X-axis as "Months".
- Label the Y-axis as "Number of Animals".

2. Mark the months on the X-axis:
- Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.

3. Mark the number of sharks on the Y-axis:
- Choose a suitable scale for the Y-axis. For example, you could use increments of 10 from 0 to 100.

4. Plot the data points for the number of sharks:
- (Jan, 12), (Feb, 15), (Mar, 25), (Apr, 35), (May, 38), (Jun, 35), (Jul, 40), (Aug, 50), (Sep, 62), (Oct, 75), (Nov, 80), (Dec, 95).

5. Connect the data points with a line.

6. Add a title to the graph:
- "Population of Tiger Sharks and Seals off the Coast of Florida".

### Step 2: Add seal data to the graph:

1. Convert the seal data:
- Jan: 1
- Feb: 3
- Mar: 50
- Apr: data missing
- May: 35
- Jun: 2
- Jul: 0
- Aug: data missing
- Sep: 30
- Oct: data missing
- Nov: 1
- Dec: 15

2. Plot the data points for the number of seals:
- (Jan, 1), (Feb, 3), (Mar, 50), (May, 35), (Jun, 2), (Jul, 0), (Sep, 30), (Nov, 1), (Dec, 15).

3. Use a different color and marker (e.g., red with 'x' marker) for seals:

### Step 3: Make a CLAIM about how tiger sharks and seal populations are related.

Claim:
The population of tiger sharks and seals off the coast of Florida seems to be related in such a way that fluctuations in the seal population appear to be followed by changes in the tiger shark population.

### Step 4: Use EVIDENCE from your graph to support that claim.

Evidence:

- In March: There is a significant increase in the seal population (50 seals). Following this spike, we see an increase in the tiger shark population from 15 in February to 25 in March and then to 35 in April.
- In July and August: The seal data is either missing or low, and the shark population remains stable or slightly increases.
- In September: There is another increase in the seal population (30 seals) followed by a rise in the shark population from 50 in August to 62 in September.

### Step 5: Provide REASONING to connect evidence to the claim.

Reasoning:

If the seal population increases significantly, it provides more food resources for the tiger sharks, attracting them to the area and hence increasing their population. Conversely, if the seal population decreases or is inconsistent, the shark population might stabilize but typically does not drop immediately, indicating the sharks might remain in the area searching for other food sources before eventually moving away or becoming less numerous.

Thus, the trends observed in the graph suggest a cause-and-effect relationship where the presence and availability of seals as prey influences the number of tiger sharks in the area.