Question

Gene is investigating what makes bread moldy. He put two identical slices of bread on separate plates. He made one slice moist and kept the other slice dry. He left the uncovered plates on a table for 2 hours. Then, he sealed them in plastic bags and put them in a dark, warm place. He looked at them each day for five days. After five days, he observed that 50 percent of the moist slice was moldy, and none of the dry slice was moldy. If Gene observed the slices for three more days, what would he most likely observe?

Answer 1

The answer is: There will be more mold on the moist slice and still none of the dry slice.

Molds belong to the kingdom Fungi. They are multicellular fungi consisting of multicellular filaments (hyphae). For growth, all molds need moist surface. This is the reason why in Gene's experiment, the only moist slice of bread was moldy. They have short life cycle, so 5 days were enough for molds to cover 50% of moist slice. Extended period of time will allow molds to spread more through moist surface if the surface remain moist.