4 ms·

>I haven't seen any compelling evidence that they form any vital component of ecosystems https://mosquitoreviews.com/learn/mosquitoes-purpose https://mosquitor

>I haven't seen any compelling evidence that they form any vital component of ecosystems https://mosquitoreviews.com/learn/mosquitoes-purpose https://mosquitoreviews.com/learn/mosquitoes-purpose >As part of their useful role, the larvae of mosquitoes live in water and provide food for fish and other wildlife, including larger larvae of other species such as dragonflies. The larvae themselves eat microscopic organic matter in the water, helping to recycle it. Adult mosquitoes make up part of the diet of some insect-eating animals, such as birds, bats, adult dragonflies and spiders. They also help pollinate some flowers, when they consume nectar.

snvzz 6y ago
>part of the diet >help polinate It all seems optional to me.
bryanlarsen 6y ago
AFAICT, the more serious proposals to eliminate mosquitoes target the individual mosquito species that spread disease in areas where there are several other mosquito species that would quickly expand to fill the ecological gap.
core-questions 6y ago
Yeah, that's the difficulty. In fits of scratching and waving my arms on camping trips of yore I too have felt the urge to just pour a trillion liters of pesticide over the world and kill all of the little flying bastards in one fell swoop (har har). Problem is, it's actually really difficult to imagine such a plentiful and prodigious species _not_ playing a major food chain role. They're everywhere, and things that eat bugs are everywhere; it would be really hard to imagine their absence not collapsing some part of the food chain. The only thing that would make sense to me would be to introduce some "invasive species" that eats the mosquitoes, doesn't spread the malaria, and can still be eaten by most of the things that eat the mosquitoes. Still, introducing any invasive species is playing with fire; it's literally impossible to know all the consequences in advance.

snvzz 6y ago

>part of the diet >help polinate It all seems optional to me.

bryanlarsen 6y ago

AFAICT, the more serious proposals to eliminate mosquitoes target the individual mosquito species that spread disease in areas where there are several other mosquito species that would quickly expand to fill the ecological gap.

core-questions 6y ago

Yeah, that's the difficulty. In fits of scratching and waving my arms on camping trips of yore I too have felt the urge to just pour a trillion liters of pesticide over the world and kill all of the little flying bastards in one fell swoop (har har). Problem is, it's actually really difficult to imagine such a plentiful and prodigious species _not_ playing a major food chain role. They're everywhere, and things that eat bugs are everywhere; it would be really hard to imagine their absence not collapsing some part of the food chain. The only thing that would make sense to me would be to introduce some "invasive species" that eats the mosquitoes, doesn't spread the malaria, and can still be eaten by most of the things that eat the mosquitoes. Still, introducing any invasive species is playing with fire; it's literally impossible to know all the consequences in advance.