In the United States and Canada, bats use one of two strategies to survive winter: They either migrate south, or they hibernate. Recently, those that hibernate seem to have come under attack by a fungus, Geomyces destructans (Gd), an attack that is occurring from Missouri to southern Canada. Many infected bats have a delicate, white filamentous mat on their muzzles, which is referred to as white-nose syndrome (WNS). The fungus invades the bat tissues, causes discomfort, and awakens the bat from its hibernation. The bat fidgets and wastes calories, using up its stored fat. The bat then behaves abnormally, leaving its cave during daytime in winter to search for food. Their food, primarily insects, is scarce during the winter, and the bats ultimately starve to death. Since 2007, it is estimated that up to 1 million bats have perished from WNS.
The Gd mat on the fur of the bats should be expected to consist of
A) hyphae.B) haustoria.
C) arbuscules.
D) yeasts.
E) basidia.
Answer: A
Gd is a cold-loving fungus. Thus, which characteristics of normal bat behavior can be most expected to favor the growth of this fungus?
A) southward migration during the winterB) communal roosting in tightly packed clusters during hibernation
C) reliance on fat reserves for calories during hibernation
D) much-reduced metabolic rate during hibernation
E) hibernating in parts of the cave that are farthest away from the mouth of the cave
Answer: D
Gd is a cold-loving fungus. Thus, which characteristics of abnormal bat behavior can be most expected to favor the growth of this fungus?
A) shifting roosting location to the mouth of the cave during winterB) searching for food during winter
C) searching for food during the day
D) All three of the options listed are correct.
E) Only two of the options listed are correct.
Answer: D
Gd is a cold-loving fungus. Thus, which characteristics of normal bat behavior can be most expected to favor the spread of this fungus to uninfected bats?
A) southward migration during the winterB) communal roosting in tightly packed clusters during hibernation
C) reliance on fat reserves for calories during hibernation
D) much-reduced metabolic rate during hibernation
E) hibernating in parts of the cave that are farthest away from the mouth of the cave
Answer: B
Almost all North American bats are insectivores, with one notable exception being a bat that bites and then laps blood from the wound. The blood-lapping bats are limited to the warm, southwestern United States. Thus, if WNS continues to decimate bat populations in the United States and Canada, then we can expect
A) livestock bites from vampire bats to increase in frequency.B) plant diseases that are spread by insects to increase in frequency.
C) plant diseases directly caused by insect feeding to increase in frequency.
D) human and livestock diseases that are spread by insects to increase in frequency.
E) all but one of these are correct.
Answer: E
Which feature(s) allow(s) hibernating bats to conserve heat without using calories?
A) shiveringB) fur
C) fat layer below the skin
D) All three of the options listed are correct.
E) Two of the options listed are correct.
Answer: E
If the answers is incorrect or not given, you can answer the above question in the comment box. If the answers is incorrect or not given, you can answer the above question in the comment box.