1 of 16

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 2

in water the same as the dragonfly, where again mosquitoes larvae provides important food for the dragonfly. All this means that they are imperative to the survival of many dragonfly species, who feed almost exclusively from them around the lakes and ponds where both species breed.

It isn't only dragonfly larvae that hunts them in the water though. As mosquito larvae are bound to the surface the majority of the time because of having to breathe air, they also make ideal targets for a number of other organisms. Frogs, small birds, tadpoles, toads, water beetles, boatmen, pond skaters and fish all feed on mosquitoes larvae as well. They can all do so because large numbers of mosquitoes tend to all release their egg in one place. This gives them a better chance of survival on the whole, and means that there are plenty to go around for all the predators. Without them there would be a lot fewer species of pond life as many of their young would starve before they reached maturity.

Evan though they are routinely eaten, those that aren't provide a useful service as well. They eat tiny organisms and pieces of algae that form on the surfaces of any pool of water open to the sunlight. Through this they help to stop a pond becoming stagnant and overgrown. Overgrown pools of water tend to become de-oxygenated, killing all the other inhabitants that breathe through the water rather than breathing air.

This is why mosquitoes are vital to the survival of many species on the earth. They might be annoying and to some extent dangerous. But removing them from the ecosystem would cause many food chains to collapse, and species to die out. So by all means kill any you might find in your house, but wiping them out on a large scale would be a disaster we should all avoid.

Learn more about this author, Dambrath.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• 2

Add your voice

Know something about What are mosquitoes good for??
We want to hear your view. Write now!