Do mosquitoes serve a purpose in the ecosystem? As one of the most hated creatures on the planet, some people have wondered why we don’t just kill them ALL? Let’s unpack this issue, with SciShow!
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Sources:
History of War against Mosquitoes/DDT
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100721/full/466432a/box/1.html
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ddt-use-to-combat-malaria/
Ecological Impacts
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100721/full/466432a.html
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/282/1815/20151549
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/aedes_communis.shtml
Zika Mosquito
http://www.cdc.gov/zika/transmission/index.html
http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11605&Itemid=0&lang=en
RNA Molecular Pesticide (killing)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18533434?dopt=Abstract&holding=npg
Transgenic Male Mosquitoes — self-limiting gene, kills offspring (killing)
http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0003864
http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0003999
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-science-insects-gmo-idUSKBN0U000820151217
http://www.oxitec.com/faqs/
Transgenic Mosquitoes — gene drive, Anopheles (resistance to parasite)
http://www.pnas.org/content/112/49/E6736
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-malaria-20151121-story.html
http://www.nature.com/news/gene-drive-mosquitoes-engineered-to-fight-malaria-1.18858#/b2
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/11/gene-drive-turns-insects-malaria-fighters
Wolbachia — bacteria infection, Aedes (resistance to virus)
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-a-tiny-bacterium-called-wolbachia-could-defeat-dengue/
http://www.eliminatedengue.com/our-research/wolbachia
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23133693
Wolbachia Parasite Superinfection — preventing potential viral resistance http://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2016-02/p-wps021116.php
https://www.plos.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ppat-12-2-Joubert.pdf
Images:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aedes_aegypti_CDC-Gathany.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anopheles_stephensi.jpeg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wolbachia.png
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skeetlrg.gif
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DDT_Powder.jpg
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