AP BIOLOGY

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THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF INHERITANCE

GENE MUTATION

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
In the mosquito populations, male mosquitoes feed on nectar from plants while females feed on the blood of organisms. Therefore, female mosquitoes are capable of transmitting diseases such as the Zika virus. In theory, if female mosquitoes were eliminated from the mosquito population, viruses could not be spread. Scientists plan to use CRISPR technology to edit the genes (causing mutation) of mosquitoes in order to make mosquitoes entirely male. Would this type of mutation be beneficial, neutral or harmful to the species?
A
harmful
B
beneficial
C
neutral
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Research Snapshot: Mosquitoes have a mutual symbiotic relationship with malaria-causing pathogen | Vanderbilt University.

Detailed explanation-2: -After she obtains a blood meal, the female mosquito lays the eggs directly on or near water, soil and at the base of some plants in places that may fill with water. The eggs can survive dry conditions for a few months. The eggs hatch in water and a mosquito larva or “wriggler” emerges.

Detailed explanation-3: -Proboscis: In female mosquitoes, this mouth part pierces the skin of a person or animal and sucks out blood. The male’s proboscis is not strong enough to pierce the skin, and males do not feed on blood. Both female and male mosquitoes use the proboscis to feed on flower nectar and fruit juices.

Detailed explanation-4: -Typically, both male and female mosquitoes feed on nectar, aphid honeydew, and plant juices, but in many species the mouthparts of the females are adapted for piercing the skin of animal hosts and sucking their blood as ectoparasites.

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