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Scientists investigated the relationship between body mass and brain mass in primate species - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 39 - 2023 - Paper 1
Question 39
Scientists investigated the relationship between body mass and brain mass in primate species. The graph below shows the data for several primate species including Ho... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Scientists investigated the relationship between body mass and brain mass in primate species - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 39 - 2023 - Paper 1
Step 1
Based on the information in the above graph, which species is most likely to represent Homo sapiens?
Answer
To determine which species is most likely to represent Homo sapiens, we examine the plotted data on the graph focusing on the sizes and their corresponding body and brain masses. Homo sapiens typically have a body mass around 70 kg and a brain mass around 1400 g.
By analyzing the data, Species 2 is positioned close to the average mammal line and has a body mass that falls within the expected range for Homo sapiens. The other species (1, 3, and 4) either have significantly lower brain mass compared to what is known for humans or correspond to larger body masses that do not align well with Homo sapiens.
Thus, the most reasonable choice representing Homo sapiens is:
B. Species 2