In 2015 Floriana Lai and colleagues published a study concluding that ocean acidification has a strong effect on the behavior of Gasterosteus aculeatus, a species of fish. However, Lai and colleagues’ study relied on a mean sample size of only 12 fish. In a 2022 review of various scientists’ conclusions about the impacts of ocean acidification on fish behavior, Jeff C. Clements and colleagues caution that relying on such a relatively small sample size can increase the potential for biased analysis. Such analysis, in turn, can contribute to reports of exaggerated effects.
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Verbal·Craft and Structure·Text Structure and Purpose
easyWhich choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
A
It summarizes a shift in scientists’ understanding of how Gasterosteus aculeatus has responded to ocean acidification.
B
It elaborates on a potential consequence of Lai and colleagues’ reliance on a relatively small sample size.
C
It emphasizes the magnitude of the effect reported by Lai and colleagues of ocean acidification on Gasterosteus aculeatus.
D
It counters the objection of Clements and colleagues to studies that rely on relatively small sample sizes.