Living Environment Regents Practice Test

What technique was likely used to create mosquitoes that can't support the malaria parasite?

1. Selective breeding

2. Genetic engineering

3. Hybridization

4. Natural selection

The correct answer is: Genetic engineering

The creation of mosquitoes that cannot support the malaria parasite is most likely due to genetic engineering. This technique involves directly modifying the DNA of an organism to achieve desired traits. In this case, scientists may have altered the genetic makeup of the mosquitoes to either make them resistant to the malaria parasite or to disrupt the lifecycle of the parasite within their bodies. Genetic engineering allows for precise changes to DNA that can effectively prevent the mosquito from being a suitable host for the parasite. This is distinct from selective breeding, which relies on naturally occurring variations in a species and would take much longer to achieve similar results. Hybridization combines two different species or strains, often resulting in varying traits rather than the precise alteration needed for malaria resistance. Natural selection is an evolutionary process that occurs over long periods, favoring traits that improve survival and reproduction, but it does not directly produce specific genetic modifications in an organism as genetic engineering does.