An international joint research group led by Associate Professor Kenji Kikuchi of Tohoku University Graduate School of Engineering has discovered that mosquitoes skillfully use two pumps: continuous mode (gulp) and burst mode (gulp) when swallowing food. Discovered for the first time in the world.
Until now, it has been known that some organisms use two pumps when swallowing liquid food, but it was unclear why they have two pumps or whether they are necessary.
The research group built an X-ray phase-contrast microscope using synchrotron radiation and was able to see through the mosquito's head, successfully visualizing the large and small pumping movements of the head. Furthermore, through experiments and theoretical analysis, we found that mosquitoes use their pumps differently when they continuously suck blood, such as when sucking blood, and when there is a blockage in their needles or when they forcefully swallow sticky nectar. It was revealed that the suction pressure was controlled by skillfully using the pump.
This research revealed a clever suction method using connected micro pumps, which is expected to be useful in the design of microscale fluid-driven devices in the future. This result was published in the British scientific journal Scientific Reports on March 2018, 3 (20:10 UK time).
Paper information:[Scientific Reports] Burst mode pumping: A new mechanism of drinking in mosquitoes
