According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Protected Species, sea turtle nesting rates have declined in all parts of the southeastern United States over the past 10 years. Environmentalists theorize that beach nourishment may improve the nesting rates of these turtles. (Beach nourishment involves replacing the sand on the beach in order to extend the high-water line seaward.) A study was undertaken to investigate the effect of beach nourishment on sea turtle nesting rates in Florida (Aubry Hershorin, unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Florida, 2010). For one part of the study, eight beach zones were sampled in Jacksonville, Florida. Each beach zone was nourished by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission between 2000 and 2008. Nesting densities (measured as nests per linear meter) were recorded both before and after nourishing at each of the eight beach zones. The data are listed in the following table. Conduct a Wilcoxon signed rank test to compare the sea turtle nesting densities before and after beach nourishing. Use a = .05.

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Before Nourishing After Nourishing Beach Zone 401 0.003595 402 0.001456 0.007278 403 0.003297 404 0.002868 0.003824 405 0.002198 406 0.000898 407 0.000626 408