If Zonosemata flies whose own wings had been clipped and reattached were attacked more frequently than untreated Zonosemata flies, this would indicate that the wing surgery itself affected the flies' vulnerability. As a result, all experimental results involving wing surgery on Zonosemata flies would be considered invalid , because the surgery introduced a confounding factor that influenced the outcome independently of the variables being tested.
This means the reliability of those specific experimental results is compromised, as there is an alternative explanation for why those flies were attacked more often (the wing manipulation rather than the intended experimental treatment). However, this issue would not necessarily affect experiments that did not involve wing surgery or that involved different species (e.g., houseflies) that were not subjected to the same procedure. In summary:
- Results from Zonosemata flies with wing surgery would be unreliable.
- Results from untreated Zonosemata flies or non-wing-surgery groups would remain reliable.
- Results from other species without wing surgery would not be invalidated by this finding.
