Marine biologists conducted an exploratory study to investigate whether there is a relationship between daily exposure to artificial LED light and the skeletal growth rate of a newly discovered deep-sea coral species, Abyssocoralia lumina, which naturally lives in complete darkness. A total of 8 coral fragments were collected and subjected to varying durations of LED light in controlled laboratory aquariums over a six-week period.
Measure 1: Daily duration of LED light exposure, rounded to the nearest hour.
Measure 2: Skeletal growth rate measured in millimetres per week (mm/week\text{mm/week}mm/week).
The following results were obtained:
Table 1: LED light exposure and skeletal growth rate of Abyssocoralia lumina
| Coral Fragment | LED exposure (hours/day) | Growth rate (mm/week\text{mm/week}mm/week) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 0.45 |
| 2 | 5 | 1.12 |
| 3 | 0 | 0.12 |
| 4 | 8 | 1.78 |
| 5 | 3 | 0.68 |
| 6 | 1 | 0.31 |
| 7 | 6 | 1.44 |
| 8 | 4 | 0.89 |
Should the hypothesis for this study be directional? Explain your answer.
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