by A.R. Marth

Created on: April 09, 2007   Last Updated: May 02, 2007

Mosquito bites happen for a reason! Mosquitos, though much reviled by humans, are very important to their environments.

Mosquitos lay their eggs in standing water. In areas where there are no people, these eggs are laid in places where tadpoles and minnows can devour them, and therefore grow. In areas where humans have settled, mosquitos will overpopulate their natural enemies by laying eggs in abandoned swimming pools, plastic bottles, and other debris that can collect water. Fortunately for the baby trout and frog, mosquitos will overpopulate these areas, and some will continue to lay their eggs in rivers and ponds.

Mosquitos also serve as pollination vectors for some plants. This is not as common as with other insects, but mosquitos are known to pollinate Cattleya orchids among other epiphytes. Epiphytes may have leaves which collect standing water, and in some tropical areas these plants contain tiny ecosystems of their own, with not only mosquitos but frogs, newts, and toads laying their eggs in the small puddles formed inside the leaves.

Mosquitos also serve another purpose, one which has made them one of our least-favorite insects. They spread viruses and bacteria between hosts. Mosquitos are thought of in medical circles as a disease vector, but from an ecological viewpoint bacteria and viruses are also living creatures, and therefore part of the ecosystem. Without mosquitos, many of these organisms would die out. While we may fervently wish this could happen, these diseases also serve a purpose in the ecosystem, by culling weaker animals and strengthening the survivor's natural resistance to these illnesses. With strong resistance or tolerance for some of these organisms, the interaction becomes more mutual and less threatening to both.

While you may gladly slap the mosquito that lands on your arm to bite, or install the bug zapper in hopes of clearing at least your tiki lounge of their noxious buzzing, remember that large-scale eradication of the mosquito not only dooms many other species to hunger, but can also pollute the environment.

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