Question

text 1
ecologist hannah lee tracked sagebrush sparrows near reno, nevada, during summer heat waves. in plots where shrubs were spaced farther apart, nestlings died more often, even though food insects were plentiful. tiny loggers showed nests in sparse plots averaged about 3°c warmer at midday. lee suggests the open gaps let hot winds reach nests; dense vegetation may create cooler microclimates that buffer chicks.

text 2
physiologist aaron patel notes that young birds cannot pant efficiently and lose water quickly. he adds that shade and still air reduce evaporative demand, so chicks in denser patches conserve moisture. patel argues that protecting clustered shrubs could be as important as boosting insect habitat when managing songbird populations in warming regions.

8 mark for review
which choice best describes an idea supported by both text 1 and text 2?
a because insects can remain plentiful during heat waves, managers should focus on food supply rather than on shrub spacing or cover.

b spacing shrubs farther apart benefits nestlings by increasing airflow that cools nests during the hottest part of the day.

c denser shrub cover will prevent heat - related nestling deaths by keeping nests cool and limiting water loss.

d denser shrub cover can help nestlings survive hot periods by reducing heat and drying stress around nests.

Explanation:

• Analyze Option A: Text 1 shows that shrub spacing affects nestling survival (sparse shrubs lead to more deaths), so managers should not ignore shrub spacing/cover. Thus, A is incorrect.
• Analyze Option B: Text 1 states that open gaps (sparser shrubs) let hot winds reach nests, making them warmer, so spacing shrubs farther apart does not cool nests. B is incorrect.
• Analyze Option C: Text 1 and 2 suggest that denser shrubs help, but "prevent" is too absolute as other factors could still cause heat - related deaths.
• Analyze Option D: Text 1 says dense vegetation creates cooler microclimates to buffer chicks. Text 2 says shade (from denser shrubs) and still air reduce evaporative demand (limiting drying stress). So denser shrub cover helps nestlings survive hot periods by reducing heat and drying stress, which matches D.

Answer:

D. Denser shrub cover can help nestlings survive hot periods by reducing heat and drying stress around nests.