Answer:
20%
Step-by-step explanation:
Population growth formula:
where P is the total population after time t, is the starting population, r is the rate of growth and t is the time in hours
Solving for r:
and replacing with data:
P = 22.781
= 4.5 (taking hour 2 as initial time)
t = 4 hours (time elapsed between initial time and time the population reach P)
r = 0.4, that is equivalent to 40%
Then, fungus decay rate is 40%/2 = 20%