What did the comparative study on chytridiomycosis teach scientists studying white-nose syndrome in bats? White-nose syndrome affects bats but does not cause death in organisms like chytridiomycosis does in amphibians. Chytridiomycosis affected only certain amphibians, so the comparative study could not teach the scientists anything useful. Humans were responsible for the spread of chytridiomycosis, but not white-nose syndrome. A novel fungal infection could spread to colonies and cause dramatic population crashes, as seen in the comparative study.

A novel fungal infection could spread to colonies and cause dramatic population crashes, as seen in the comparative study.

Explanation:

Chytridiomycosis may be defined as an infectious disease which affects the various amphibians worldwide. Chytridiomycosis is believed to be caused by a chytrid fungus whose scientific name is Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. This fungus is capable of causing numerous sporadic deaths in most of the  amphibian populations and nearly 100 per cent of mortality in others.

This fungus was first discovered in 1993 in Queensland in the dying frogs.

Chytridiomycosis is the disease that is caused by the fungus in bats with the white nose syndrome. It is new or a novel infection caused by the fungus chytrid that has claimed to take life of many amphibians around the world in the comparative study by the scientists.