Do we care if mosquitoes become extinct?
Yes – we know - mosquitoes are part of the delicate balance of nature. Still, would the ecosystem really collapse if they disappeared? Do we care if mosquitoes become extinct?
Of course, in principle yes — biodiversity matters. Every species, no matter how irritating, plays a role in the grand web of life. But in practice, when we’re scratching away at bites on ankles and cursing through a cloud of citronella candle smoke, the moral compass gets a bit wobbly. In fact if we’re being honest, some of us would gladly fund the wholesale eradication of mosquitoes ourselves. Just imagine a world where summer evenings weren’t accompanied by slaps, welts, and frantic sprays of repellent!
It’s not just about the first world woes of disrupting the enjoyment of a gin and tonic on the verandah. A world without mosquitoes has a lot of appeal on a number of more serious fronts. From a human health perspective, the extinction of mosquitoes, specifically the species that transmit disease, would be overwhelmingly positive. Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on Earth, spreading life-threatening illnesses such as malaria, dengue fever, Zika virus and yellow fever. The eradication of malaria-carrying mosquitoes alone could save hundreds of thousands of lives each year. A world without mosquitoes would also mean the money and effort spent on fighting such disease outbreaks (and on developing repellents and sprays) could be put to much better use in the global health system.
However, while the benefits to human health are clear, it seems the ecological impact of a total mosquito extinction is more uncertain and could carry significant risks, depending on which of the 3,500 species disappeared.
Some ecological risks of mosquito extinction:
• Disruption of food webs: Mosquito larvae are a food source for fish, amphibians, and other aquatic insects, while adults feed birds, bats, dragonflies, and spiders. In the Arctic tundra, for example, massive swarms of mosquitoes are a major food source for migratory birds. Their disappearance could cause a steep drop in bird populations. While some predators would likely adapt, specialized feeders might struggle.
• Uncertain ripple effects: Many ecosystems have evolved with mosquitoes over millions of years. A sudden loss of biomass could have unpredictable, cascading effects throughout the food chain. As some scientists warn, “You cannot un-genocide a species once you find you are wrong”.
• Pollination loss: Adult mosquitoes, especially males, feed on nectar and act as pollinators for many plants. While other insects would fill most of this niche, a few specialized plants, such as certain orchids, rely on mosquitoes for pollination and could be driven to extinction.
• A “worse” replacement: Some ecologists suggest that another, possibly more harmful, insect could fill the empty ecological niche left by mosquitoes. This replacement could be an even more efficient disease vector or pest.
• Ecosystem protection: Some researchers have suggested mosquitoes have served a valuable role in keeping humans away from sensitive tropical ecosystems, thereby protecting biodiversity!
The case for targeted eradication
A complete, worldwide mosquito extinction is unlikely to happen, but a more balanced approach could be a targeted eradication of the species that pose a threat to human health, such as those carrying malaria. Or, even better, could we keep just the nice mosquitoes — the ones that pollinate flowers — and retire the bloodsuckers?
