Blahdenburg’s population of flutterfish declined in the past decade, mainly because of the harmful runoff from a local factory. These fish are the primary food source of the hamrat, a medium-sized species of rodent whose numbers had suffered along with their prey’s. Yet although the factory was shut down a few years ago, the population of hamrats has continued to decline.
Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the continued decline in the hamrat population?