Can We Live Without Mosquitoes?
WouterConsidering the toll that mosquitoes take on the human population, can we really live without them? After all, they’ve been around for over 100 million years. Their presence has shaped the ecosystems on Earth. However, removing a species from the environment can cause drastic changes.
Mosquitoes can carry and transmit many diseases. Among the most serious are malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, and Zika. These diseases are responsible for a massive amount of deaths every year. In fact, they are one of the leading causes of death on the planet.
The number of people that die from these diseases is around 1 million per year. That’s a huge humanitarian impact, but it’s also a huge economic burden. Fortunately, there are targeted solutions to eliminate disease-carrying mosquitoes.
While there are some animals that can survive without mosquitoes, most rely on them as part of their diet. They’re the source of food for many predators, and they also contribute to the food chain. If we were to completely wipe out mosquitoes, there would be a great rift in our ecosystem.
Another concern is that other insects would flourish in their place. There are thousands of mosquito species. Some are even pollinators. While the pollination role of these species isn’t crucial to the plants that humans rely on, other insects could fill the void left by the absence of mosquitoes.
But while some animals may be able to survive without mosquitoes, others would be left with no food at all. Some would even be wiped out altogether.
