|Question 12Verbal

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Although Eastern North Pacific (ENP) gray whales generally migrate between their wintering waters along the coast of Mexico and their foraging waters in the Arctic, a subset of this population—known as the Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG)—forages along the coastlines of Northern California (USA) and British Columbia (Canada) instead. Interestingly, individuals in this subset reach smaller maximum sizes than other ENP whales do, despite having similar pre-maximum growth rates. Researchers hypothesize that this difference may be an adaptation to distinct resource opportunities in the PCFG foraging range.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers' claim regarding the size of PCFG whales?
When foraging along the coasts of Northern California and British Columbia, PCFG whales are in closer proximity to major ports and urban populations than ENP whales in the main group are when foraging in Arctic waters.
A
When present along the coasts of Northern California and British Columbia, PCFG whales tend to forage in rocky kelp beds at shallow depths inaccessible to whales as large as those in the ENP main group.
B
Certain crustacean prey species available along the coasts of Northern California and British Columbia where PCFG whales tend to forage are not available in the Arctic waters where ENP whales in the main group forage.
C
The average body size of PCFG whales observed along the coasts of Northern California and British Columbia has remained relatively steady in recent decades, while the average body size of ENP whales in the main group has slightly decreased.
D