Scientists counted lichen species on trees at different distances from a city centre. They also measured the concentration of sulfur dioxide in the air.
Table
| Distance from city centre in km | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sulfur dioxide concentration in μg/m3\mu\text{g}/\text{m}^3μg/m3 | 85 | 70 | 48 | 30 | 18 | 12 |
| Number of lichen species on 10 trees | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 13 |
A student claims that sulfur dioxide causes the lower number of lichen species near the city centre.
Which statement is the best evaluation of this claim?
The data prove the claim, as lichen species rise as sulfur dioxide falls.
The data do not support the claim, as some lichens grow at the city centre.
The data support the claim, but other factors that change were not measured.
The data do not support the claim, as sulfur dioxide falls slowly after 6 km.
109 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Biology 6.1 Monitoring and maintaining the environment, covering 6.1.1 Field investigation of distribution and abundance, 6.1.2 Human interactions and biodiversity, 6.1.3 Maintaining biodiversity, and 6.1.4 Environmental change and distribution of organisms. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.