hard · SAT Reading & Writing

An ornithologist recorded the average clutch size (number of eggs per nest) of the Blackcap Warbler in four habitat types, along with the number of nests sampled in each: Habitat type | Avg. clutch size (eggs) | Nests sampled Old-growth forest | 5.8 | 42 Regenerating forest | 5.1 | 55 Shrubland | 4.3 | 38 Urban parkland | 3.6 | 29 The research team claims that Blackcap Warblers nesting in habitats with more mature, structurally complex vegetation produce larger clutches than those nesting in more open or disturbed habitats. Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to support the research team's claim?

1. The data show that vegetation complexity is the sole determinant of clutch size, since old-growth forest nests averaged 5.8 eggs compared with 3.6 in urban parkland.
2. Clutch size declined steadily from 5.8 (old-growth) to 5.1 (regenerating), 4.3 (shrubland), 3.6 (urban parkland), tracking decreasing vegetation complexity.
3. Urban parkland nests were monitored across only 29 nests, fewer than in any of the other three habitat types.
4. The sample of 55 nests collected in regenerating forest was the largest data set gathered in the entire study.

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