GWD题目的一些疑惑

GWD-1-Q24:

By sucking sap from the young twigs of the hemlock tree, tree growth is retarded by the woolly adelgid, causing needles to change color from deep green to grayish green and to drop prematurely

答案是：the woolly adelgid retards tree growth, causing needles to change color from deep green to grayish green and to drop

我的问题是如果causing改成and this causes是对的还是错的？