FIGURE 3: The A) proportion of wing tissue displaying signs of
infection with Pseudogymnoascus destructans and B)amount of weight lost over hibernation in bats from each site. Tissue
invasion at Extirpated (Warm + Wet) was higher than that at the
similarly humid Persisting 2 (Cold + Wet), suggesting that the higher
fungal growth rate at the extirpated site resulted in greater tissue
invasion and ultimately higher weight loss. The low humidity conditions
at Persisting 1 (Cold + Dry) may have driven the observed increase in
tissue invasion despite a lower pathogen growth rate. Low humidity
conditions can exacerbate evaporative water loss from infected tissue,
which may have increased arousal frequency and weight loss.