There are more than 3,500 known species of mosquitoes worldwide.
Mosquitoes cause millions of cases of malaria and more than a million deaths annually. They have also been known to carry other diseases, such as West Nile virus, and even when not spreading disease they are generally annoying to humans and other animals. But the extinction of mosquitoes, as attractive as the idea might be at times, could have dire consequences for ecosystems around the world.
Arctic
Mosquito extinction would have the largest and most immediate impact on the arctic tundra. For several weeks in the spring, mosquitoes rise on the tundra in clouds. Bruce Harrison of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources believes that if the mosquitoes were to vanish it could diminish the number of migratory birds in the north by 50%. Additionally, the wild Caribou who travel across the tundra in the thousands in the spring plan their routes so that they can avoid the mosquito clouds. A small change in the caribou migration patterns would affect the entire ecosystem, including plants and predators.
Food Source
Mosquitoes are abundant and relatively easy to catch compared to other flying insects. The sudden disappearance of mosquitoes would have a dramatic effect on the creatures that eat them. Predators of mosquitoes include fish and aquatic insects, who eat both adults and larvae, and many species of birds, bats and other insects such as spiders and dragonflies.
Plants
Mosquitoes affect a variety of plant species. Like bees, they pollinate many plant species. Only females from certain species of mosquitoes require blood; most males rely on plant nectar for survival. The extinction of mosquitoes could mean the extinction of many plants. Mosquito larvae also help to clean up waste matter in the ponds and stagnant pools where they develop. The loss of mosquitoes and build-up of this waste matter would have unknown effects on the waterways and the other species that live in and around them.
Ripple Effect
It's impossible to be certain, before the fact, what side effects removing an animal from an ecosystem will have. This is especially true for an animal as numerous and pervasive as the mosquito. Animals that eat the mosquito would have to find a new food source or die out. That food source in turn would decline in number, and the animals that used to eat the alternative food source would face increased competition. Ultimately, the loss of any species affects all species in one way or another.
Tags: would have, extinction mosquitoes, food source, more than, plant species, species mosquitoes, waste matter