|Question 12Verbal

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Paleontologist Amane Tajika and colleagues analyzed the shells of two marine mollusks called nautilids that were collected from waters near New Caledonia. Sample F13 and other shell sections formed during adulthood suggest that mature New Caledonian nautilids live at the same depths as mature Fijian nautilids. However, sample M06, which formed while the nautilid was still in its egg, had a chemical signature suggesting the egg had been laid in water 120 meters deep, while Fijian nautilids typically lay eggs at depths of at least 170 meters. Because water temperature decreases as depth increases, a biology student hypothesized that the New Caledonian nautilids lay their eggs in warmer water than Fijian nautilids do.
Which finding, if true, would most directly weaken the student's hypothesis?
New Caledonia nautilids tend to migrate upward to warmer water immediately after hatching, whereas Fijian nautilids do not.
A
The water temperature at a given depth tends to be higher in waters near Fiji than it is at that depth in waters near New Caledonia.
B
There aren't enough suitable hatching areas at a depth of at least 170 meters in New Caledonia for nautilids to lay their eggs at that depth.
C
The water temperature at a given depth tends to be lower in waters near Fiji than it is at that depth in waters near New Caledonia.
D