> There’s little evidence, though, that mosquitoes form a crucial link in any food chain, or that their niche could not be filled by something else. When science journalist Janet Fang spun out this thought experiment for Nature in 2010, she concluded that “life would continue as before—or even better.” I arrived at the same answer when I looked into the same question for a piece published three years later. “There’s no food chain that we know of where mosquitoes are an inevitable link in a crucial process,” one mosquito-control expert told me.
Save a hand full of people while potentially dooming billions? I might not be getting your sarcasm but I'm totally okay with the current situation when the other presents the possibility of destroying millions of ecosystems which mind you would effect billions to trillions of animals, insects, and even people across the globe who are dependent on these functioning ecosystems. Killing off the primary source of food for a few insects/animals can have cataclysmic effect.
In addition Mosquitoes do serve a purpose outside of being food. They introduce many diseases, much of which we developed immunities to and continue to successfully ward off naturally to this day. They are the worlds natural vaccination shot so to speak.
Truthfully the idea of killing off all mosquitoes seems so damn absurd I don't understand why anyone thinks it's a good idea.
While potentially dooming billions - is anyone seriously suggesting that? Especially if you can target only a handful of the 3500 species.
> They introduce many diseases, much of which we developed immunities to and continue to successfully ward off naturally to this day
What diseases are you referring to here?
There are ~200 million cases of malaria a year and about ~500k of those are fatal. It's a debilitating disease and if it happens to the breadwinners it can ruin the entire family. Hardly a "handful" of people
> There’s little evidence, though, that mosquitoes form a crucial link in any food chain, or that their niche could not be filled by something else. When science journalist Janet Fang spun out this thought experiment for Nature in 2010, she concluded that “life would continue as before—or even better.” I arrived at the same answer when I looked into the same question for a piece published three years later. “There’s no food chain that we know of where mosquitoes are an inevitable link in a crucial process,” one mosquito-control expert told me.
Or because we like reading other sources? http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100721/full/466432a.html
How ironic.