▶ Your Answer : In the given set of information , the lecture and the reading passage deal with white nose syndrome, a contagious disease caused by fungus that grows on bats. The lecturer casts doubt on the reading passage's claim on possible solutions to stop the spread of the fungus, by presenting three possible counterarguments.
FIrst of all, the reading passage claims that increasing the level of acidity in bat caves will discourage fungus to thrive and grow. However, the lecturer argues that this claim is disputable. This is because recent experiment proved that certain types of fungus are tolerant in a wide range of conditions including highly acidic environment. Besides, altering the acidity in the caves would be difficult.
Next, according to the reading passage, drugs could be used to treat contaminated areas where the fungus is thriving. However, the lecturer claims that the claim is controversial. To be specific, although this tactic may stop the fungal growth, environmental problems will follow. It will destroy beneficial fungus, endangered bats and other species by affecting the ecosystem in the cave.
Lastly, the lecturer disagrees on the point made in the reading passage on providing artificial habitats to protect bats from deadly fungus. She contends that this method is impratical as the cave-like setting can not serve every existing wild bats. Moreover, bats will be protected temporarily and will be vulnerable to WNS once released. |