Location: Livestock Arthropod Pest Research Unit
Project Number: 3094-32000-041-002-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2017
End Date: Aug 31, 2022
Objective:
Collect samples of screwworms (adults and/or larvae) from Caribbean Island nations and Eastern Province of Panama, for use in developing molecular analyses that differentiate the origin of these samples.
Approach:
Satellite images provided by ARS scientist would be used by the Cooperator in consultation with the ARS scientist to determine general landscape patterns around and between each location to be sampled. Basic climatological data (temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, soil type, vegetative index, etc.), along with general soil information, vegetation data, host composition and density, human influence (i.e. land use) etc., will be collected by the Cooperator for each location as well as proximate expanses around each location. Independent samples of at least 20 screwworms will be collected and stored in 95% ethanol from each of 10 - 20 locations representative of their current range from each island in the Caribbean. Accurate geo-reference and descriptions of the ecological conditions (i.e. temperature, rainfall, humidity, soil type, overall topography, vegetation index, host composition and density etc.) would be recorded by the Cooperator for each location. Samples will be moved to the Collaborators facilities and retained for future use by the PI for molecular genetic analyses.
