Swat! Sting! Ouch! Missed again. A familiar feeling in South…
Questions
Swаt! Sting! Ouch! Missed аgаin. A familiar feeling in Sоuth Flоrida as mоsquitoes swarm in, lured by our subtropical climate, bite us and cause all sorts of public health problems — like dengue fever, which is mounting in South Florida, Zika and malaria. But a team of Florida International University researchers, led by biologists Matthew DeGennaro and Andre Luis da Costa de Silva, along with scientists from Lund University in Sweden and the University of Washington, have discovered a means to attract and kill breeding mosquitoes, according to FIU. The scientists discovered that geosmin, an organic compound with a distinct earthy smell attracts immature larval stages and adult mosquitoes — especially as they breed and look for a favorable spot to lay their eggs. “Mosquitoes require microbial-rich environments for their progeny,” the study said. “We found a new odor to lure mosquitoes into traps,” DeGennaro explained. That familiar scent in the air of newly wet soil? That’s the geosmin effect. “Geosmin increases female mosquito attraction to water. Female mosquitoes lay their eggs near water. We compared traps that contained water and geosmin or just water alone. More eggs were laid in the traps with geosmin,” DeGennaro said. “In Brazil, similar studies were conducted with beetroot peel versus its pulp. The peel is rich in geosmin. More eggs were found in the traps containing beetroot peel than the traps containing pulp,” he said. “This discovery can be used to reduce mosquito populations by causing females to lay eggs in traps that will kill the larvae. The more eggs we trap and remove from the environment, the fewer mosquitoes we will have,” DeGennaro said. Geosmin is why beetroots taste earthy. But geosmin as a compound is expensive and hard to obtain. The scientists discovered that beetroot peel extract can substitute for the geosmin compound and function as a cost-effective attractant. Source: Modified from https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article238460673.htmlLinks to an external site. a. (0.5 point)Gravid females are mosquitoes that have already taken a blood meal and have mature eggs ready to be laid. How could geosmin be used to attract and trap gravid females without allowing them to oviposit? Describe the trapping strategy you would implement. b. (0.5 point)Is targeting gravid females an effective strategy for detecting virus presence and supporting vector incrimination in field collections? Justify your answer.
Why is Vivаldi’s The Fоur Seаsоns cоnsidered progrаm music? Please use full sentences and answer thorougly.