Question

a study over a 10-year period in a region undergoing deforestation examined changes in water quality and its effects on the local fish population in a river ecosystem. the data table is located below.

year	deforestation area (sq km)	water ph level	turbidity (ntu)	number of fish species
2	15	7.3	7	23
3	20	7.1	9	22
4	25	6.9	11	21
5	30	6.7	15	20
6	35	6.5	18	18
7	40	6.3	22	16
8	45	6.1	26	14
9	50	5.9	30	12
10	55	5.7	35	10

based on this data, which of the following conclusions can most accurately be drawn?

• increased deforestation has no significant impact on river ecosystems and the diversity of fish species.
• increased deforestation leads to poorer water quality, negatively impacting the diversity of fish species.
• increased deforestation improves the quality of river water, leading to an increase in the number of fish species.
• the ph level of river water is unrelated to the turbidity and the number of fish species in the ecosystem.

Explanation:

Analyze the data trend: as deforestation area increases (from 10 to 65 sq km over 10 years), water pH decreases (7.8→5.7), turbidity increases (6→35 NTU), and fish species number decreases (25→10). This shows deforestation worsens water quality and reduces fish diversity.

Answer:

Increased deforestation leads to poorer water quality, negatively impacting the diversity of fish species.