The change in size of a given population of organisms may have a direct impact on humans.The 1993 outbreak of hantavirus in the southwestern United States was partly due to a(n)
A) tightly linked cycle of human and hantavirus populations.
B) increase in the deer mouse population size.
C) decline in the desert salamander population, the normal hantavirus host.
D) increase in human population size.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The increase in the deer mouse population size would have provided more opportunities for human exposure to hantavirus, as this species is a known host for the virus. The other options are less likely to have directly caused the hantavirus outbreak.

The Change in Size of a Given Population of Organisms