Question

this passage describes the inherited trait of body length in brown trout.
brown trout are fish that are found in oceans, lakes, and rivers. the body length of a brown trout is the distance between its nose and tail.
a brown trout with its body length shown
the table below describes a possible population of brown trout over a time period long enough for natural selection to occur. the table shows the populations average body length at the start and end of this period.
data about a population of brown trout
point in time | average body length (cm)
start | 69.6
end | 43.0
complete the following statements to construct the hypothesis that is best supported by the data.
over this time period, trout with longer body lengths were likely to reproduce than trout with shorter body lengths. this means that having a longer body length was advantageous than having a shorter body length.

Explanation:

The table shows the average body length of brown trout decreased from 69.6 cm to 43.0 cm over time, indicating natural selection favored shorter lengths. For shorter lengths to become more common, longer trout must have been less likely to reproduce, making longer body length less advantageous.

Answer:

Over this time period, trout with longer body lengths were less likely to reproduce than trout with shorter body lengths. This means that having a longer body length was less advantageous than having a shorter body length.