CR5.16 In the article “Reproductive Biology of the Aquatic Salamander Amphiuma tridactylum in Louisiana” (Journal of Herpetology

[1999]: 100–105), 14 female salamanders were studied.

Using regression, the researchers predicted y 5 clutch size (number of salamander eggs) from x 5 snout-vent length

(in centimeters) as follows:

y⁄

5 2147 1 6.175x For the salamanders in the study, the range of snout-vent lengths was approximately 30 to 70 cm.

a. What is the value of the y intercept of the least-squares line?

b. What is the value of the slope of the least-squares line?

Interpret the slope in the context of this problem.

c. Would you be reluctant to predict the clutch size when snout-vent length is 22 cm? Explain.