Like honeybees, which are invaluable for agriculture, wild bumblebees also play a significant role in crop pollination. Though people are more familiar with honeybee die-offs — such as with colony collapse disorder — wild bumblebees have been struggling too. A handful of bumblebee species have declined by up to 96 percent in the U.S., according to the National Agricultural Library’s website.

Question

The causes have been largely understudied, although pesticides, infectious disease and shrinking habitat due to climate change have been suspected, said Samantha Alger, an ecologist from the University of Vermont who led the new research.

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Question
Use the article excerpt below to answer the question.

What evidence from the text best supports the analysis that human actions are related to bumblebee decline?

(1 point)
Responses

the study that shows viruses may be spilling over from commercial hives to wild bees
the study that shows viruses may be spilling over from commercial hives to wild bees

the question about how wild bees pick up viruses if they do not enter managed honeybee colonies
the question about how wild bees pick up viruses if they do not enter managed honeybee colonies

the claim that people may be saving the bees to death
the claim that people may be saving the bees to death

the fact that people have tried to breed more bees

Answer 1

The evidence from the text that best supports the analysis that human actions are related to bumblebee decline is:

the study that shows viruses may be spilling over from commercial hives to wild bees

This response highlights the connection between human-managed honeybee populations and the health of wild bumblebee populations, suggesting that human activities (such as the management of honeybee colonies) have negative consequences for wild bumblebees.