Use the Information to Answer the Following Question

Multiple Choice

Use the information to answer the following question.
The Brazil nut tree, Bertholletia excels (n = 17) , is native to tropical rain forests of South America. It is a hardwood tree that can grow to over 50 meters tall, a source of high-quality lumber, and a favorite nesting site for harpy eagles. As the rainy season ends, tough-walled fruits, each containing 8-25 seeds (Brazil nuts) , fall to the forest floor. Brazil nuts are composed primarily of endosperm. About $50 million worth of nuts are harvested each year. Scientists have discovered that the pale yellow flowers of Brazil nut trees cannot fertilize themselves and admit only female orchid bees as pollinators. The agouti (Dasyprocta spp.) , a cat-sized rodent, is the only animal with teeth strong enough to crack the hard wall of Brazil nut fruits. It typically eats some of the seeds, buries others, and leaves still others inside the fruit, which moisture can then enter and allow the remaining seeds to germinate.
Predict the most likely outcome to the population of Brazil nut trees if a disease decimated the agouti population.

A) The population of large Brazil nut trees would remain constant for a while, but the population of new seedlings would likely increase in the long run.
B) The population of large Brazil nut trees would decline immediately, and the population of new seedlings would likely decrease in the future.
C) The population of large Brazil nut trees would remain constant for a while, but the population of new seedlings would likely decrease in the long run.
D) Both the population of large Brazil nut trees and new seedlings would increase in the long run.