David Blehert and his research team captured 117 healthy bats to study in the laboratory and divided them into four groups.Group 1 was housed in an area free from Geomyces destructans.Group 2 was housed in an area that shared the same air as bats infected with WNS,but these bats did not have direct contact with the infected bats.Group 3 was housed in direct contact with other bats infected with WNS.Bats in group 4 were directly exposed to Geomyces destructans when researchers applied it to the bats' wings.During the study period the bats were monitored for signs of WNS.What is the specific hypothesis being tested by the inclusion of group 4 in this experiment?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The specific hypothesis being tested by the inclusion of group 4 is that Geomyces destructans causes WNS, and it can be transmitted by direct contact with the fungus without the need for contact with infected bats. Group 4 is being directly exposed to the fungus to test this hypothesis. The other groups are being used to study the effects of different levels of exposure to infected bats or fungus. Therefore, options A and B are incorrect. Option D is also incorrect as group 4 is not the control group - there is no control group described in this experiment.

David Blehert and His Research Team Captured 117 Healthy Bats