A technician is preparing agar plates to culture a non-pathogenic strain of Escherichia coli to evaluate the antibiotic activity of a new plant extract.
After inoculating the agar, the technician secures the lid of each Petri dish with two small pieces of adhesive tape in a cross-shape, rather than sealing the entire rim of the dish with tape.
Explain the biological reasons for securing the lid in this manner.
