What conclusion can be drawn from the rat outbreak hypothesis for Easter Island?

A. The introduction of nonnative species has environmental consequences.

B. Climate changes have environmental consequences for all inhabitants of an environment.

C. The overexploitation of resources has environmental consequences.

D. Scientists (environmental or others) do not necessarily agree on the interpretation of data.

A.

Explanation:

I got it right on my test.

The conclusion that can be drawn from the rat outbreak hypothesis for Easter Island is that "the introduction of nonnative species has environmental consequences". The correct answer is A.

Explanation:

The first human colonists introduced Polynesian rats on the Easter island. By this time the island was inhabited by Jubaea palm that established at least 35,000 years ago and survived several climatic and environmental changes. In this scenario, rats found a welcoming environment to live in, with enough supply of high-quality food and no natural predators. In this way their population grew fast, affecting vegetation, as it was their food source. They might have played a major role in the island environmental degradation, contributing to deforestation, as they fed on the palm seed, gnawing them, and affecting the palm's ability to reproduce. There is evidence that shows that in other places in the Pacific, rats have also contributed to deforestation. In many places, it has been proved how rats affect vegetation negatively, and in those areas where rats are removed, vegetation has recovered. Analysis of sediments revealed that the forest started to decline before the changes caused by people. By the time Roggenveen arrived at the island in 1722, most of these large stands of the forest had disappeared, and after that, the combination of human cutting-down trees and rats eating the seeds might have led to rapid deforestation.