Mosquitoes: Fascinating Creatures With Complex Life Cycles - Essay Sample

Physical Feature and Mosquito Behavior

A mosquito has a slender but elongated body with fragile-looking legs and piercing mouthparts. Mosquitoes feed on nectar and plant juices which is a source of nutrients for the mosquitoes. Mosquitoes lay their eggs on water pools on the surface where they hatch into aquatic larvae (Tabachnick, 2016). The mosquito larvae feed on algae and other small organic debris whereas in some cases the larvae are predators and can even feed on other mosquito larvae. In the pupal stage, the mosquitoes are active and can swim freely in the pools of water while breathing using the tubes on the thorax. Upon emerging from the pupal stage mosquitoes mate who has been the reason for the overwhelming number of mosquitoes, especially during wet seasons (Omodior et al., 2018).

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Mosquito Description

A mosquito is a small insect with 3500 species from order Diptera and family Culicidae with a lifespan of 42 to 56 days for females and ten days for the male mosquitoes. Mosquitoes have itchy and irritating bites, and they are even dreaded further not only because of their bites but due to being carriers and vectors of deadly diseases (Tabachnick, 2016). Mosquito-borne diseases have been known to cause many deaths especially in the tropical regions where mosquitoes carry deadly yellow fever, dengue, West Nile, and Zika viruses (Omodior, Luetke, & Nelson, 2018). This brochure will seek to elaborate on the type of mosquitoes, their adaptation to their natural habitat, establish the purpose of sucking blood and elaborate on the diseases they cause and how they can be prevented in detail.

Contribution to the Ecosystem and Control

Despite being vectors and carriers of dangerous diseases, mosquitoes also play a significant role in the ecosystem because they are a source of food for many animals such as bats, birds, dragonflies, and frogs. Besides, mosquitoes do not only feed on humans for blood but also prefer horses, birds, and cattle (Omodior et al., 2018). However, due to the nature of the diseases they cause and the likelihood of leading to death there is need to control the mosquito population through the removal of stagnant water pools or treating them with agents that kill the mosquito larvae (Omodior et al., 2018). Insecticides spraying is used to kill adult mosquitoes, and there is also increased scientific research to manipulate mosquito reproduction viability to control their population. However, global warming is becoming a significant challenge in the control of mosquito population due to the increase in reproduction as temperatures rise and climate range for their survival (Fernandes, Moise, Maranto, & Beier, 2018).

Fact: Only female mosquito suck blood

Disease Carrier Mosquitoes

Beyond being a nuisance due to the noise, they make at night from the vibration of their wings; mosquitoes also causes severe human life-threatening diseases (Omodior et al., 2018). Mosquitoes are carriers or vectors of deadly disease and they are recognized as a public enemy with the leading disease-causing deaths that is carried by mosquitoes being malaria and claims many young and adult lives every year with some areas and seasons being worse due to the high breeding of the female anopheles mosquito that carries malaria causing agents (Tabachnick, 2016). Although there are more than 3000 species of mosquitoes, only three species are responsible for the spread of human diseases. Anopheles mosquitoes also transmit elephantiasis and encephalitis, the Culex mosquito transmits filariasis, West Nile virus and encephalitis whereas the Aedes mosquito species carry yellow fever, encephalitis and dengue fever (Omodior, Luetke, & Nelson, 2018). Mosquitoes can transmit diseases, especially malaria, by hosting the malaria parasites in the gut and enter the host while the anopheles mosquito is feeding. In diseases such as yellow fever and dengue, the viruses causing the diseases attach themselves to the mosquito as it feeds and the disease is transmitted through saliva from an infected human to the subsequent mosquito victims (Omodior et al., 2018).

References

Fernandes, J. N., Moise, I. K., Maranto, G. L., & Beier, J. C. (2018). Revamping mosquito-borne disease control to tackle future threats. Trends in parasitology, 34(5), 359-368. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471492218300084

Tabachnick, W. (2016). Research contributing to improvements in controlling Florida's mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases. Insects, 7(4), 50. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/7/4/50/pdf

Omodior, O., Luetke, M. C., & Nelson, E. J. (2018). Mosquito-borne infectious disease, risk-perceptions, and personal protective behavior among US international travelers. Preventive medicine reports, 12, 336-342. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335518302559

00Fernandes, J. N., Moise, I. K., Maranto, G. L., & Beier, J. C. (2018). Revamping mosquito-borne disease control to tackle future threats. Trends in parasitology, 34(5), 359-368. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471492218300084

Tabachnick, W. (2016). Research contributing to improvements in controlling Florida's mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases. Insects, 7(4), 50. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/7/4/50/pdf

Omodior, O., Luetke, M. C., & Nelson, E. J. (2018). Mosquito-borne infectious disease, risk-perceptions, and personal protective behavior among US international travelers. Preventive medicine reports, 12, 336-342. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335518302559