Hunter: Many people blame hunters alone for the decline in Greenrock National Forest's deer population over the past ten years. Yet clearly, black bears have also played an important role in this decline. In the past ten years, the forest's protected black bear population has risen sharply, and examination of black bears found dead in the forest during the deer hunting season showed that a number of them had recently fed on deer.

In the hunter's argument, the portion in boldface plays which of the following roles?

• AIt is the main conclusion of the argument.  
• BIt is a finding that the argument seeks to explain.  
• CIt is an explanation that the argument concludes is correct.  
• DIt provides evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument.  
• EIt introduces a judgment that the argument opposes.