Hummingbirds and tropical flower Researchers from Amherst College studied the relationship between varieties of the tropical flower Heliconia on the island of Dominica and the different species of hummingbirds that fertilize the flowers.45 Over time, the researchers believe, the lengths of the flowers and the forms of the hummingbirds’ beaks have evolved to match each other. If that is true, flower varieties fertilized by different hummingbird species should have distinct distributions of length.

The table below gives length measurements (in millimeters) for samples of three varieties of Heliconia, each fertilized by a different species of hummingbird. Do these data support the researchers’

belief? Follow the four-step process.

H. bihai 47.12 46.75 46.80 47.12 46.67 47.43 46.44 46.64 48.07 48.34 48.15 50.26 50.12 46.34 46.94 48.36 H. caribaea red 41.90 42.01 41.93 43.09 41.47 41.69 39.78 40.57 39.63 42.18 40.66 37.87 39.16 37.40 38.20 38.07 38.10 37.97 38.79 38.23 38.87 37.78 38.01 H. caribaea yellow 36.78 37.02 36.52 36.11 36.03 35.45 38.13 37.10 35.17 36.82 36.66 35.68 36.03 34.57 34.63