How Do Mosquitoes Use Blood to Make Eggs?
WouterDespite their impressive size and ability to transmit diseases, scientists still don’t know exactly how mosquitoes use blood to make eggs. A new study from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the Rockefeller University may be able to provide clues.
Adult female mosquitoes feed on blood to help them produce more eggs. They also use it to maintain their blood supply. However, not all female mosquitoes need to ingest blood. Some species of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, for example, only consume flower nectar or reptile blood.
During the life cycle of the female mosquito, she accumulates a lot of iron. Researchers have not yet been able to identify where the excess iron goes. It is possible that the fecundity of the female mosquito is related to the availability of iron.
Female mosquitoes can lay up to 500 eggs before they die. They require blood proteins to do so. They can also leave behind viruses and parasites. They can also carry West Nile.
One of the best ways to determine if a mosquito uses blood to make eggs is to observe how much blood they take. In a single bite, female mosquitoes may take up to three times their body weight in blood. They then store it separately from their nectar.
Some of the hematological parameters involved with this type of feeding include hemoglobin levels, red blood cell diameter and plasma protein content. They vary depending on the species of vertebrate and the conditions of their environment.
