An ecologist is studying the relationship between a beetle species and a flower species. She examines six plants and counts the number of beetles and the number of flowers on each plant. $$\begin{array} { | l | l | }
\hline \text { Number of flowers } & \text { Number of beetles } \
\hline 1 & 1 \
\hline 2 & 4 \
\hline 3 & 9 \
\hline 4 & 16 \
\hline 5 & 25 \
\hline 6 & 36 \
\hline
\end{array}$$
What can we conclude from the data?

Question

An ecologist is studying the relationship between a beetle species and a flower species. She examines six plants and counts the number of beetles and the number of flowers on each plant. $$\begin{array} { | l | l | } 
\hline \text { Number of flowers } & \text { Number of beetles } \
\hline 1 & 1 \
\hline 2 & 4 \
\hline 3 & 9 \
\hline 4 & 16 \
\hline 5 & 25 \
\hline 6 & 36 \
\hline
\end{array}$$
What can we conclude from the data?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The data shows a correlation between the number of flowers and the number of beetles, but without further experimental or observational evidence, we cannot determine causation from correlation alone.

An Ecologist Is Studying the Relationship Between a Beetle Species