Biology 1st Edition by Jerome Krueger, Kendra Hill, Robert Noyd

Exercise 18

White-nose syndrome, a disease that has killed millions of bats in Europe and the northeastern United States, is caused by a fungal pathogen ( Fig. ). The fungus grows as a white, powdery substance on the noses, wings, and ears of bats. (1) Predict what environmental factors favor the growth of the fungus. (2) Do you think this fungus also infects bats that roost in trees instead of caves? (3) How do you think the fungus is spread? (4) At the end of an outing, people who explore caves disinfect their gear and clothing. Why do they do this?
Figure Bat infected with white-nose syndrome.