It is known that each of the living things that make up Nature, from the smallest insect to the largest mammals, plays a certain role in the great ecological mechanism of the planet. Still, given their notorious and well-known nuisances (and even dangers) to humans, it’s easy to wonder what role mosquitoes play. makeAre mosquitoes really useful for anything??
The disadvantages of mosquitoes are well known. For a start, They are vectors of transmission of many diseases.. Every year, thousands of people die on the planet from dengue, malaria, yellow fever, encephalitis, West Nile virus and other diseases for which mosquitoes are carriers.
In some parts of the world, these insects form huge swarms surrounding wild animals such as the Alaskan caribou, slowly suffocating and killing them.
Apart from that, mosquito clouds in humid areas with human populations are particularly annoying and also require expensive treatments to eradicate them without harming the rest of biodiversity.
They serve as food for other species… to some extent.
But at the same time, these Diptera species perform a fundamental ecological task: to feed the species that live in different ecosystems. In the Arctic, for example, they form a compact biomass that floats on the tundra and serves as food for a large number of migratory bird species.
Some scientists believe that eradicating mosquitoes in these areas will reduce the number of migratory birds that come there in search of food.
In addition, There are many species of fish, spiders, frogs, salamanders, turtles, dragonflies or lizards that eat their larvae., easy to catch. According to these scientists, the diet of all these animals will be severely affected.
However, there is general consensus, as Winifred Frick, a biologist at the University of California-Santa Cruz who specializes in chiroptera, points out: While mosquitoes are essential for many species, they are not really necessary.. In other words, the hypothetical complete disappearance of these dipterans on Earth would not necessarily have devastating consequences for the species that feed on them.
When it comes to bats, Frick notes that “there is no particular bat species that specializes in mosquitoes.” In fact, nearly all species of these flying mammals are general predators, meaning they eat anything they can catch, such as mosquitoes, beetles, and many other insects.
In the case of other species that feed on them, the possible complete eradication of mosquitoes has not been as well studied as bats, but another scientist from the same university, Marm Kilpatrick, an ecologist quoted by National Geographic, has “the impression that the average person wouldn’t notice much of the impact of such a possibility.” ”.
In short, most ecologists consider the risk of saving humanity from damage caused by mosquitoes acceptable to ecosystems. Since these insects are neither the only, nor often the best possible food source, any species would alter its diet.
Positive outcomes for global health
But assuming once again that this selective extinction occurs, there will be (positive) consequences for human health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reminds us of this. The number of people who die from malaria each year is 438,000.According to data for 2015.
Similarly, the mosquito species that has been the protagonist of the most recent Zika epidemics is the cause of dengue virus (22,000 deaths per year) and yellow fever (30,000 deaths per year).
Also, humans are not the only species to fall victim to diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, as there are many humans in the animal kingdom who suffer the same consequences.