Quinn and colleagues (2006) demonstrated that wild salmon return to the specific location of the natal stream in which they were born with remarkable precision. They used temperature changes during incubation of pre-hatch sockeye salmon embryos to cause banding patterns on the ear bones of the fish. They did this because
A) the banding patterns on the ear bones would mark the experimental fish for later identification.
B) they were hoping that the temperature manipulations would prevent the salmon from dying after spawning.
C) they were testing the hypothesis that altered banding patterns would influence the fishes' abilities to navigate to their natal stream.
D) they were testing the hypothesis that salmon use the temperature of the water in which they incubate as a navigational cue.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The banding patterns on the ear bones (otoliths) were used as a natural tagging method to identify the fish upon their return, allowing researchers to track the specific individuals and confirm their remarkable homing precision to their natal streams.

Quinn and Colleagues (2006) Demonstrated That Wild Salmon Return to the Specific