Two dramatic shifts in upstate New York`s microfossil record may explain the fate of the region`s prehistoric
megafauna. First, fossil spores of Sporormiella, a fungus common in most Pleistocene era sediments that grows only on the dung of large herbivores, vanish from the sedimentary record about 14,000 years ago. Soon after, levels of
microscopic charcoal from landscape fires increase more than tenfold. Paleontologist Guy Robinson sees a
connection: he suggests that local populations of mastodons and other big herbivores crashed when the first
humans arrived and found the animals, previously unexposed to humans, easy prey. With most of the huge
herbivores wiped out, fire-fueling vegetation accumulated on the landscape. So fires lit by the human newcomers
burned hotter and spread farther than ever before.
The passage suggests that large prehistoric herbivores in upstate New York may have
Ahad few predators before the appearance of humans
Bbeen responsible for sharp reductions in Sporormiella fungus
Cbeen driven to seek new habitats by the spread of landscape fires
Dpeaked in population size around the time when humans first appeared
Ehelped maintain ecological conditions that limited the extent of landscape fires
정답은 E이구요
다른 보기가 안된다는건 알겠는데
E가 답인 이유는 모르겠습니다..^^