In the 1940s, a Fish and Wildlife Service employee and environmental scientist, Rachel Carson, was inspired in her research by a letter to the Boston Herald detailing the massive die-off of birds after DDT was aerially sprayed to kill mosquitoes. Based on the early observations made regarding bird death, which of the following represents a reasonable hypothesis?

Question

In the 1940s, a Fish and Wildlife Service employee and environmental scientist, Rachel Carson, was inspired in her research by a letter to the Boston Herald detailing the massive die-off of birds after DDT was aerially sprayed to kill mosquitoes. Based on the early observations made regarding bird death, which of the following represents a reasonable hypothesis?

Correct Answer(s)
Birds are likely dying due to changes in temperature or climate.
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DDT is killing the mosquitoes and disrupting the food chain, leading to the death of birds, some of which may rely on mosquitoes or on organisms that eat mosquitoes, as a food source.
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DDT is not only killing mosquitoes but is also killing birds.
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During the aerial spraying, planes must have flown into the birds and killed them.

Answer 1

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DDT is killing the mosquitoes and disrupting the food chain, leading to the death of birds, some of which may rely on mosquitoes or on organisms that eat mosquitoes, as a food source.