The effect of an alternative blood meal source from Glycine max root nodules on the eggs laid and successful larval birth of Culex pipiens

Overview

Spring Valley High School Mosquito-transmitted diseases have led to a vast increase in attempts to find a sustainable method to reduce the vector’s population. The purpose of this experiment was to use leghemoglobin, a heme protein formed in nitrogen-fixing nodules, to reduce mosquito reproduction and offspring. It was hypothesized that leghemoglobin would lead to fewer eggs laid by the mosquitoes and the percentage of larvae that surface from the eggs would be lower since the structure of leghemoglobin contains less protein and iron, two essential nutrients for making eggs. Leghemoglobin was isolated from Glycine max root nodules that were dried in a desiccator and ground to a powder. Both protein powders were dissolved and given in two specific concentrations to ten mosquitoes in an even gender ratio. Eggs were counted after two days, and two additional days were given for the larvae to emerge. The larvae were then counted by displacing them from the water. The leghemoglobin resulted in less eggs and larvae compared to hemoglobin. A two-way ANOVA was run to study the significance of the blood meal and concentration on the number of eggs and percentage of larval emergence. The Bonferroni test conducted for egg production at ɑ=0.05 resulted in a p-value of <0.001. The egg production results were deemed significant, whereas, the results for successful larvae ended up being insignificant. It was found that the mosquitoes were able to adjust to the meal, creating a lower quantity of eggs, but still providing enough nutrients for a successful hatch.

Competition history

• JSHS 2020 Category not listed

Resources

• National JSHS abstract book ↗

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