Final answer:
If hunting were stopped, certain animal populations might increase initially but could face negative consequences like overpopulation, leading to declines due to resource competition, disease, and possibly increased predation.
Step-by-step explanation:
If hunting were stopped or banned completely, it is incorrect to assume that animal populations would simply thrive with no negative impacts. Instead, the outcome largely depends on numerous factors including the species in question, the ecosystem they inhabit, their predators, and the carrying capacity of their environment. With hunting out of the equation, some animal populations might initially increase, potentially leading to overpopulation. Overpopulation can strain resources and result in an increased number of animal deaths due to factors like starvation, disease spread, and possibly increased predation. It could also lead to a decrease in biodiversity as a dominant species outcompetes others for resources. Answer B) Populations would decline due to overpopulation, which captures that there would likely be negative impacts due to changes in the ecosystem dynamics.