A puma, also called a cougar, is a large predatory feline found in North America. The puma is an ambush predator, and feeds on a variety of prey, such as rodents and deer. They have also been known to attack livestock, pets, and even humans.
To reduce threats to human and livestock, several states legalized the sport hunting of pumas. Sport hunting, also called trophy hunting, refers to hunting wild animals for the purpose of display or keeping a trophy. State agencies also argued that reducing puma populations would increase the number of deer, which are also resources desired by hunters.
1) Which of the following would be the best representation for a hypothesis related to puma sport hunting?
a. If pumas are hunted, there will be fewer attacks on humans and livestock by pumas.
b. If pumas are hunted, then there will be a greater number of deer.
c. Both of these are valid hypotheses.
2) In order to test a hypothesis that trophy hunting will reduce attacks on humans and livestock, what other information is needed?
a. the number of farms or livestock in an area
b. the number of encounters with pumas in an area (by humans or livestock)
c. the birth and death rates of puma populations
3)Not all experiments have a control group, but in this instance, which would best serve as a control?
a. puma attacks in states that don’t allow trophy hunting
b. the number of deer in areas without pumas
c. the number of pumas in areas that do not allow hunting