The student wants to emphasize the aim of the research study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
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In North America, woodlands have expanded into areas that were once grasslands.
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Thomas Rogers and E. Leland Russell of Wichita State University investigated whether woodland expansion is related to changes in climate.
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Rogers and Russell analyzed core samples from oak trees on a site that was not wooded in the past and indexed the age of the trees with historical climate data to see if tree populations and climate were correlated.
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Tree population growth was associated with dry intervals.
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Droughts may have played a role in woodland expansion.

