A scientist named Joseph Connell studied two species of barnacles on the shore of a Scottish island. In the area between the average tide and the neap high tide, he found that the population of Species A was smaller than that of Species B. He removed Species B from one area but left both Species A and B in a similar area. The graph below shows the results of this study. Based on these data, which hypothesis was Connell most likely testing?

Select one:

The two species of barnacles compete with each other for resources.

The two species of barnacles are closely related to each other.

Barnacles grow larger when they are isolated from other species.

The populations of both species of barnacles increase more in warm water than in cool water.