Some species of amphibians have phenotypic plasticity in development. If the den

Question

Some species of amphibians have phenotypic plasticity in development. If the density of tadpoles (larval amphibians) is high, tadpoles will develop a cannibalistic phenotype (morphology) with large mouth and sharp teeth; if the density is low, they will develop an herbivorous (plant-eating) phenotype, with small mouths and grinding teeth. A researcher samples 500 tadpoles from a local pond and observes that 4 out of 5 tadpoles have cannibalistic phenotypes. He returns later and samples 100 tadpoles and finds that only 2 out of 5 tadpoles have cannibalistic phenotypes. (Assume that new tadpoles could have been born in the one week period.) What can one likely surmise about the researcher's sampling?

Explanation / Answer

A researcher initially took a sample of 500 tadpoles and found 4 out 5 tadpoles having cannibalistic phenotype and then in a sample of 100, he found 2 out 5 tadpoles having cannibalistic phenotype. This shows that when the we reduce the sample size the required criteria to be observed may that not be that much accurate as with large sample.

Thus to be accurate with our finding, we should prefer the large sample.

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