Answer:
"Name as a cause of"
Explanation:
The word attribute showcases that the starfish invasion was due to pesticides and fertilizers.
As with any author's decision to use 1st person, her intention most likely -- in this story -- was to get her readers to go along for the ride into madness and cultivate a certain amount of sympathy for the narrator and her plight. The constant use of "I" puts readers in the narrator’s head and allows them to empathize with her.