Mosquitoes are one of the most hated creatures in the world. I was wondering whether they have any beneficial role to play in our life, like some ecological service.
Mosquitoes are the main food item of some species of bat which are also responsible for pollination services. Therefore mosquitoes play a beneficial role for us. So although we want to decrease their numbers to reduce their negative effects on us, it would be unwise to eliminate them completely.
I doubt that the same species of bats that pollinate flowers also feed on mosquitoes to any great extent. However mosquitoes themselves are good pollinators since both the females and the males visit flowers to feed on nectar. They use the carbohydrates in the nectar to fuel their wing muscles, females to look for blood meals and oviposition sites and males to swarm and look for females. While mosquitoes may be hated and sometimes an almost unbearable nuisance the real threat is not from the mosquitoes themselves but from the pathogens they transmit so the question might be reposed to "are pathogens beneficial to us"?
Certainly mosquitoes are pollinating quite many species. This is well known.
Did you read the article published in Nature, July 22 in 2010, in addition to a blog around this article: http://www.malariaworld.org/forum/who-needs-mosquitoes
If not, you'll find a lot of useful information there!
goog luck with your studies
Dear Dr Sumodan, as I am one of the Malaysian resident, we couldn't get any beneficial from mosquitoes, and daily we have more than 100 victims behind mosquitoes, especially Dengue fever, which is endemic in malaysia. Mortality is high especially among elderly and very young individuals. Then, I want to say No, No, and No, no any beneficial. TQ
All creatures on earth are of benefit to man either directly or indirectly. The beneficial role of mosquitoes to man are subtle, and may be more than what others have stated. In my view a more direct way is that we have made careers out them.
Ha Ha. Osbert Namafente, you said it. During a seminar on mosquito-borne diseases in India I overheard two scientists HAILING mosquitoes for fetching them the plum jobs
They are also a part of the food web. Some surface feeding fish and other aquatic insects feed on mosquito larvae.
Toxorhynchitis mosquito larvae feed on other mosquito larvae & help to control medically important mosquitoes like Aedes. Toxorhynchitis does not feed on blood.
@Heshu please check this out:
http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2014/10/07/mosquitoes-insects-jumping-spiders-malaysia-animals-science-predators-prey/
The Ten Benefits Of Mosquitoes
1. Mosquitoes As A Food Source.
2. Mosquitoes Remove Waste (To Make Compost).
3. Mosquitoes Gave Birth To A Whole Economic Industry.
4. Mosquitoes Benefit Engineering .
6. Mosquitoes As (Helpful) Assassins.
7. Mosquitoes Protect The Rainforest.
8. Mosquitoes Are Medically Important.
This is an interesting question. It is a lot like asking what are the ecological benefits of 7.5 billion human beings? in an area of about 196 million square miles, mosquitoes aren't the only creatures bringing disease and loss of life to a population of organisms. If we think in terms of massive deforestation, and the resulting defaunation of various ecosystems at the hands of human beings, various insects and arachnids harboring disease onto an already exceeded population of human beings is more like nature attempting to regain balance.
Mosquitoes are as important to man as their demerits. Mosquitoes are a part of us.
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