Answer:
20%
Step-by-step explanation:
Population growth formula:
[tex]P = P_0 \times e^{rt} [/tex]
where P is the total population after time t, Â [tex]P_0
[/tex] Â is the starting population, r is the rate of growth and t is the time in hours
Solving for r:
[tex]\frac{ln(\frac{P}{P_0})}{t}=r[/tex]
and replacing with data:
P = Â 22.781
[tex]P_0[/tex] = 4.5 (taking hour 2 as initial time)
t = 4 hours (time elapsed between initial time and time the population reach P)
[tex]r=\frac{ln(\frac{22.781}{4.5)}{4}[/tex]
r = 0.4, that is equivalent to 40%
Then, fungus decay rate is 40%/2 = 20%