▶ Your Answer :
The reading passage provides three possible
theories regarding the population decline of the yellow-legged mountain frogs.
However, the lecture refutes the reading by saying that none of the three
theories are convincing.
First
of all, the speaker contends that yellow-legged mountain frogs’ habitat is
remote from human. This means that frogs’ habitat cannot be used by humans.
Furthermore, the number of frogs at national parks, which is a place that no
human activities are permitted, also decreased too. This counters the reading
passage’s claim that destruction of the habitat caused the number of frogs to
decline.
Second,
the lecturer argues that frogs’ eggs are not exposed to direct sunlight. To be
specific, frogs lay eggs at under vegetation, such as beneath the rocks, where
eggs can be protected. This means that eggs are also protected from UV radiation.
This casts doubt on the reading’s claim that decrease in yellow-legged mountain
frog population is attributed to UV radiation.
The
final point made by the lecture is that there is no correlation between climate
change and the number of frogs. According to a study conducted in California, population
of frogs decline even though there was not any climate change. Moreover, the
lecturer points that frogs can even benefit from climate changes, because they
can lay their eggs earlier. This refutes the reading passage’s assertion that climate
change affected the yellow-legged mountain frogs’ population to decrease. |