Final answer:
Scatter plots showcase the relationship between two variables, for example, city population and wildlife sightings, but not individual variables in isolation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Scatter plots are a crucial tool in statistics for showing relationships between two variables. The scenario you've described likely involves creating a scatter plot to visualize the data related to urban wildlife. To analyze the pattern in a scatter plot, researchers look for a correlation between the variables, which can be positive, negative, or nonexistent. The independent variable, typically on the x-axis, could be the population of the city, whereas the dependent variable, on the y-axis, might be the number of wildlife sightings within city limits. By considering the pattern of the points and the strength of any correlation, scientists can use regression analysis, like linear regression, to further understand the significance of the relationship between variables. Notably, a scatter plot purely shows relationships—it does not display only one variable such as the population of the city or the number of wildlife sightings without the context of the other variable.