| الوصف: |
27 pages ; Mosquitoes are known as the most dangerous animals on earth because they transmit heinous diseases, including malaria, dengue, and yellow fever. Biting and sucking blood are hazardous to mosquitoes because, among other substances, blood contains toxic amounts of iron. This study aimed to determine whether iron tolerance varied between blood feeding and obligate non-biting populations of Wyeomyia smithii. Additionally, sex ratio was examined to seek out potential physiological differences between males and females between biting and non-biting populations. Using six serial dilutions of ferrous sulfate, I determined that sex does not alter survivorship to pupation nor adult emergence in biting nor non-biting populations. My research sought out the physiological limits of iron tolerance in larvae of the pitcher-plant mosquito, W. smithii, and discovered significantly decreased frequency to pupation across all populations at high concentrations of ferrous sulfate. Through the discovery of this threshold level of iron, my results provide an important step for future research into adult iron tolerance in W. smithii. In the adult life stage, both females and males feed on carbohydrates and could be targeted with iron-laced sugar baited traps. Hence, my research will contribute to the control of mosquito borne disease using measures that are benign to the environment. |
