Question

müller and colleagues investigated the spread of red deer into a former brown - coal mining area in denmark. after collecting evidence of deer populations across the region,
reading & writing - part 1
impact of environmental variables on deer habitat selection
which choice most effectively uses data from the chart to complete the example?
a
b
c
d
tree cover at site and understory vegetation cover both had positive impacts on deer presence.
the area surrounding the site both had negative impacts on deer presence.
the absence of humans, as measured by distance to buildings, had a positive impact on deer presence.
mean terrain height had a larger impact on deer presence than forest cover

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the bar graph (Impact on Deer Presence) and match with the options:

Step 1: Analyze Option A

• Tree cover at site: Bar height = 2.923 (positive, large impact).
• Understory vegetation cover: Bar height = 0.0497 (positive, small impact).
• The option claims both have "positive impacts"—but the magnitudes differ greatly, and the description is vague. Eliminate A.

Step 2: Analyze Option B

• Deciduous forest cover (surrounding): Bar height = -0.000284 (negative, tiny).
• Coniferous forest cover (surrounding): Bar height = -0.0000915 (negative, tiny).
• The option claims "negative impacts"—but the impacts are extremely small (negligible). Eliminate B.

Step 3: Analyze Option C

• Distance to buildings: Bar height = 0.0047 (positive, tiny).
• The option claims "positive impact"—but the impact is negligible. Eliminate C.

Step 4: Analyze Option D

• Mean terrain height: Bar height = 0.28 (positive, moderate).
• Forest cover (surrounding, e.g., deciduous/coniferous): Impacts are ~-0.0003 (negligible).
• The option claims mean terrain height had a "larger impact on deer presence than forest cover"—this matches: 0.28 (terrain) >> ~0 (forest cover).

Answer:

D. mean terrain height had a larger impact on deer presence than forest cover