TPO 29 Integrated Writing Task

The reading passage explored the hypothesis of the migration of Edmontosaurus, and several arguments were given in support of this hypothesis. Although these points seemed reasonable, the lecturer cast doubt on them and found them not convincing for the following reasons.
To begin with, even though the author suggested that, in an attempt to find food, this species must migrate to the south in which the weather was suitable for plants to flourish, the lecturer argued that it was a misconception. This was because the summer temperatures at North Slope were actually warmer than they are today. Furthermore, thanks to the extensive sunlight, the dead vegetation on which these animals could feed remained nutritious during the winter. Thereby, Edmontosaurus didn’t need to migrate to temperate areas to consume exclusive food.
Second, on the basis of the cluster of fossils found at the same site and the fact that living in herds could be conducive to migration, the author argued that this species lived in herds, and thus, provided support for their migration. Conversely, the lecturer refuted this statement, indicating that animals could live in herds for other reasons. For example, she illustrated that elks lived in groups to protect each other from predators. As a result, the lecturer proposed that there wasn’t a necessary connection between group-living behavior and migration.
Last but not least, the lecturer acutely identified the weakness in the passage that this species could rapidly travel long distances with their excellent moving abilities. The lecturer pointed out that some juveniles could not readily follow their adults which might deter the overall moving process. Thereby, this species would probably remain where they were rather than migrating to the south.