In an island nature preserve, Common Eider nests are found in roughly equal numbers in highly concealing woody vegeta...

Annie on January 31, 2020

Hi,

This question asks you to find an answer choice which explains why CE's which lay their eggs in other birds' nests tend to do it in the ones established in wooden boxes.

(A) is incorrect because it doesn't address the question. We are looking to explain why CE's which lay their eggs in other birds' nests tend to do it in the ones established in wooden boxes, and this answer choice just deals with what the CE's do in the future.

(B) is correct because it provides a reason why CE's would choose the wooden boxes over the woody vegetation. Simply put, the CE's can't find the nests in the woody vegetation, so that aren't able to lay their eggs in them.

(C) is incorrect because it is true for all nests, not just those in the woody vegetation. Since all nest builders engage in this defensive behavior, it makes it equally unlikely for CE's to lay their eggs in any nest. This doesn't help explain the paradox of why nests in the boxes are chosen more frequently.

(D) is incorrect because it is irrelevant.

(E) is incorrect because it also is irrelevant. This is a statement about the whole nature preserve and tells us nothing about why one location would be preferred over another for laying eggs.