Mosquitoes are more than just pests; they play an important role in the ecosystem.
Mosquitoes are a flying insect of the family Culicidae. There are 166 known species of mosquitoes in North America alone and 3,500 named species in the world. Their larvae are aquatic, and the adult insects are vectors for many diseases, the most serious being Malaria. Many scientists have asked themselves the question, "What would happen if mosquitoes were eliminated?" The answers bring insight into the roles of mosquitoes in our ecosystem.
Food Source
Mosquitoes, along with other insects, are a principal source of food for birds, spiders, lizards and salamanders. Their larvae are an important source of food for fish, many of which have been genetically imprinted to know kill mosquito larvae. If mosquitoes disappeared, it would be a great dietary loss for many of these fish, which would have serious effects up and down the food chain.
Process Decaying Matter
Mosquito larvae, found in huge masses in bodies of water, process waste like decaying leaves and microorganisms. While there are many organisms that process detritus, mosquito larvae represent an important community, depending on the body of water. In some cases, eliminating mosquitoes from these areas could affect plant growth due to lack of nutrients.
Kill Humans
Mosquitoes carry a number of serious diseases, including Malaria, West Nile, Encephalalitis and Dengue Fever. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa might recover the 1.3 percent of their Gross Domestic Product that they lose to mosquito-borne diseases each year, according to the World Health Organization, if the insects were eliminated. This would, in turn, accelerate the development of these seriously affected countries. Because they kill millions of people per year globally, mosquitoes can certainly be considered one of the main threats to the health of the world's population.
Pollinate Plants
Another important role played by mosquitoes is that of a pollinator. Most adult mosquitoes require plant nectar for energy and thus pollinate plants when they land to drink the nectar. However, the crops mosquitoes pollinate are not those important to humans, though many plants would lose their method of reproduction if mosquitoes disappeared.
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