[Campbell Biology P.727] If the analysis described in the "Scientific Skills Exercise" yield... | Practice Question

If the analysis described in the "Scientific Skills Exercise" yields a strong positive correlation coefficient r close to +1 between miRNA diversity x and morphological complexity y , what would this result suggest?

  • A: It would suggest that as the average number of miRNAs in a phylum increases, the average number of cell types in that phylum also tends to increase.
  • B: As miRNA diversity increases, morphological complexity decreases significantly.
  • C: There is no linear relationship between miRNA diversity and morphological complexity.
  • D: Higher miRNA diversity directly causes higher morphological complexity.

Explanation

A strong positive correlation r close to +1 implies that as one variable increases, the other variable also tends to increase. In this context, it would mean that phyla with more miRNA diversity tend to have greater morphological complexity.