A natural community is a group of native plants and animals that interact with each other and their environment. Natural disturbances such as fires, drought, windstorms, and floods help to shape and maintain these communities. One dominant natural community in Arkansas was the loblolly-shortleaf pine forests. Loblolly pines are adapted to wet soils and are found in low-lying or flat areas, while shortleaf pines prefer dry soils and are more likely to be found on slopes. Together the two species formed open forests throughout Arkansas' bottomlands. The forests contained large pine trees spaced much farther apart than the forests seen today. They had a diverse understory plant layer adapted to the acid soils produced by the pine needles.

Question

A natural community is a group of native plants and animals that interact with each other and their environment. Natural disturbances such as fires, drought, windstorms, and floods help to shape and maintain these communities. One dominant natural community in Arkansas was the loblolly-shortleaf pine forests. Loblolly pines are adapted to wet soils and are found in low-lying or flat areas, while shortleaf pines prefer dry soils and are more likely to be found on slopes. Together the two species formed open forests throughout Arkansas' bottomlands. The forests contained large pine trees spaced much farther apart than the forests seen today. They had a diverse understory plant layer adapted to the acid soils produced by the pine needles.

Ms. Greene's ecology class compared Landsat images of Arkansas' loblolly-shortleaf pine forests dated 1985 through 2005. There was an obvious decrease in the square miles of pine forests. Which reason below would NOT explain this decrease?
Responses
A fires.fires.
B logging.logging.
C urban sprawl.urban sprawl.
D habitat destruction