Does anyone know a possible way to quantify the nutritional intake of a larvae of mosquito without killing it?
I agree with Jason
Even if you weigh, you have to do it before and after the feeding, taking into account the gain of weigh due to the larval growth.
Another possibility would be to quantify the amound of food that you put in the larval medium and find a way to measure the part of the food taken by the larvae.
What question are you interested to answer through this experiment?
Dear Jason and Christian, thanks for the answers!
Answering them: Jason, I'm trying to measure amount of food a larvae will take, not something specific like proteins, but also not something too inespecific like a visual measurement of fat reserve.
Christian: I came up with this idea that you mentioned regarding an indirect measurement of food intake by measuring the amount of food I would add at the begnning and then measuring the amount of food left after some time. To do so, I would have to do this kind of experiment with individual larvaes and also I would have to find a way to measure the amount of food left, don't you agree? All of this to answer this question: the mean larvae food intake was X.
YES! I think it's better to work with individual larvae in a small container and with a little amount of water.
Try to weigh the water containing the initial food and do the same at the time point you'll want to measure the food intake, but both operations should be done without larvae, and hope that you have a precise apparatus to weight.
That's a great point of view, thank you! I will for sure need a good apparatus to weight that small difference and also need a good way to take out the fed larvaes in a way that they will not get hurt and I will not take out any vestige of food diluted in the water.
Thinking about that possible problems, why not weight the dry food inside the container before adding it to the water containing the larvae and then after feeding it, I would take out this larvae, wash it in the container to avoid residual food in the body, evaporate the water and weight the container with the residual food left?
As far as I know there is no method for that. If I would have tried relative transparency to light and may be also relative width of body as parameters that distinguish between fed and hungry, unfed larva. Suggest if possible to avoid the subject
Hey Stephanie, the problem is that I don't want to kill the larvaes. I think I'm going to try this indirect method of measurement proposed by Christian and Jason and see what results I will get.
Thanks!
Hi! One question: What is it actually you want to provide as food? If it is liquid, or a suspension like pollen or unicellular algae, why not try to measure the changes in concentration in the medium before going to the trouble of drying and weighing for your indirect measurement? And yes, I think, indirect measurement is the way to go
Paavo, the food will be the regurlar food used in our lab. Which is this
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Categoryimages/normal/p-118814-17996-v-fish-supplies.jpg
That's why I was thinking about drying the water.
Ah, I see. So, optical density might not be sensitive enough. Yes, then I think, Christians and Jasons suggestions are the best way.
Please do with individual larva. specification with the stage of the larva to be chosesn. Follow the suggestions of Christians and Jasons. lalitha kabilan
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Microbiology
- Virology
- Virus