A researcher investigated a fungal disease of a flowering plant. The disease causes infected leaves to develop dark patches and drop from the plant early.
The researcher selected plants with the same mean total leaf area at the start of the investigation.
| Plants | Mean total leaf area at the start in cm² | Mean total leaf area after 6 weeks in cm² | Mean number of flowers after 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not infected | 600 | 840 | 18 |
| Infected | 600 | 330 | 6 |
Calculate the percentage decrease in the mean total leaf area of the infected plants during the 6 weeks.
Use the data and your knowledge to explain why the infected plants produced fewer flowers.
252 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Biology 3.1 Communicable diseases, covering 3.1.1 Communicable (infectious) diseases, 3.1.2 Viral diseases, 3.1.3 Bacterial diseases, 3.1.4 Fungal diseases, 3.1.5 Protist diseases, 3.1.6 Human defence systems, 3.1.7 Vaccination, 3.1.8 Antibiotics and painkillers, and 3.1.9 Discovery and development of drugs. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.