9. The Piney Woods Ecoregion of East Texas is the wettest area of the state. It contains many forests, wetlands, swamps, and marshes. One year, there was so much rain that a river formed in a longleaf pine forest. The formation of the river changed the local population of alligators by -

A increasing and then decreasing the population of alligators, as they first had to adapt to the river before, they could survive in it.

B. increasing the population of alligators, as alligators had more places to lay eggs.

C. Keeping the population of alligators constant, as some left when the river formed and others came to take their place.

D. decreasing the population of alligators, as they had fewer places to search for food.