Elimination of any kind of organism will have a severe impact on the ecosystem, and if there is any mosquitoes, maybe it really does not.
Every day, Eva di·Mofei Geeta (Jittawadee Murphy) will open a hot, locked room, this room is located in the Walter Reed in Silver Spring, Maryland (Walter Reed) Army Institute, which closed a group of malaria-carrying mosquitoes (Anopheles Stephens). She crushed millions of mosquitoes of fish as food, and pregnant females from a coma in the mouse stomach to suck blood drained within one month – 24 of the rodents! Murphy studied mosquitoes has more than 20 years, has been looking to limit the spread of parasites carried by method. But, she said, she would rather they disappeared from the Earth.
There must be many who had supported her. Worldwide 247 million people are infected with malaria each year, millions of people will die. Mosquitoes spread yellow fever, dengue fever, encephalitis, Rift Valley fever, Chikungunya virus and West Nile virus, resulting in a greater medical and financial burden. And is pest factors: their populations are too dense, even Alaska reindeer suffocated, but now it is summer in the northern hemisphere, mosquito populations is reached a seasonal peak, their mouthparts, sunk deep into the flesh and blood of the people in the northern hemisphere as a whole.
If the world no mosquitoes, will be how?: someone (or something) will miss them? nature study on mosquito biology and ecology scientists threw out a question, get some amazing answers.
There are about 3500 a mosquito named species, of which only one hundred or two hundred bites or harassing people. They live in almost every continent, Habitat, play an important role in many ecosystems. "Mosquitoes have been around for at least 100 million years on Earth," Murphy said, "they evolved together with quite a few other species. "Killing a mosquito might make the predator with no food or lose media pollination of certain plants. And explore a world free of mosquitoes is no longer just an imaginary experiment: people have invested a considerable amount of effort is to eliminate the most harmful, the most contagious diseases of the species.
But scientists have discovered that in many cases, the ecological gap caused by the disappearance of a mosquito will soon be filled with other organisms. Life will be as before, even better. Considering that they are the major disease vectors, "it's hard to say they would harm, just allowed a bit of collateral damage. "Insect ecologist at Illinois State University shidiwen·zhuliyanuo (Steven Juliano) said. World free of mosquitoes would be "safer for us," from Brazil Santa Catarina Federal University Medical entomologist kaluosi·bulisuola·makongdesi (Carlos Brisola Marcondes) said that "mosquitoes away significant implications for humans. "
"Polar disaster"
If mosquitoes disappeared, the most affected area is Arctic tundra, inhabited clump of Aedes (Aedes impiger) and black-footed Aedes (Aedes nigripes). The eggs will hatch after the snow melt in the second year, just 3-4 weeks developed to a mature stage. From Canada to Northern Russia, within a very short period of time every year they are very large, and in some areas may be formed thick clouds of mosquitoes. "On a global scale is a very rare situation," entomologist dannier·sitelikeman (Daniel Strickman) said. He was the United States Department of agriculture in Beltsville, Maryland regional medical and Urban Entomology program head, he added, "there is no other place in the world, biological quantities can be so large. "
About what will happen if the Group disappeared, scientists holding different points of view. Entomologist of the North Carolina Department of environment and natural resources bulusi·halisen (Bruce Harrison) is expected, if there are no mosquitoes as food, Tundra-nesting migratory birds will be reduced by more than 50%. But other researchers do not think so. Fairbanks area, Alaska of the United States fish and Wildlife Service Center, a wildlife biologist, kaiqian·kuerbi (Cathy Curby) think that the Arctic is mosquito does not appear in stomach samples of migratory birds in large quantities, and midges (chironomidae) is a more important source of food. "Humans may overestimate the number of mosquitoes in the Arctic tundra, because they are only selectively attracted to us. "She said.
Mosquitoes per day from the drains of up to 300 ml of blood per reindeer, which we used to think gang of Elk should select the Windward routes to escape the mosquitoes swarm. When the migrating caribou herd in the North Valley, and small changes can cause a major impact on the route: they walk on the grass, eat lichens, transporting nutrients, would be eaten by wolves, which will eventually change the ecological environment. If these are taken into account, mosquitoes, disappear in the Arctic will have a considerable impact, but also in other places like this?
"Aerial cuisine"
"Mosquitoes are easy to catch and good to eat. "Aquatic entomologist at the University of Michigan lichade·meilite (Richard Merritt) says. If there are no mosquito larvae, there are hundreds of species of fish had to change their diet to survive. "It sounds simple, but eating habits which have seared the fish genes. "Harrison said. For example, mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) is a specialized predator of mosquitoes, are very good at killing mosquitoes, are raised in rice fields and a swimming pool as a means of pest control, no mosquitoes, they might be extinct. This kind of fish or other fish disappear will have a tremendous impact on the whole on the lower reaches of the food chain.
In addition, there are many kinds of insects, spiders, salamanders, lizards and frogs will lose an important source of food. In a study published in 2010, researchers in France Camargue region of microbial insecticides sprayed within the Park, and to observe conditions for insect-Martin. They found that, in the wake of microbial insecticides sprayed on average only chicks per nest produced 2, while in other sites, hatched 3 Chicks on average.
A large number of birds are likely to turn to other insects that prey on mosquitoes, the insects in "mosquito time after" multiply to replace the niche of the mosquito. Other insect-eating plants and animals may not remember them: bats mostly eat moths and mosquitoes in the stomach or not to 2%. "If you're consuming energy," United States Centers for disease control and prevention, medical entomologist zhennite·maikalisite (Janet McAllister) asked, "would you choose to eat 22 ounces of a moth, steak, or 6 ounces of mosquitoes in Hamburg?"
Lot of options on the menu, it appears that most insect predators in a world without the mosquitoes won't go hungry. Mosquitoes seem no greater impact on the ecosystem to allow people to temporarily abandon them would be the idea.
"I can help"
Mosquito larvae in the global aquatic ecosystems pose a considerable biomass. They can be found in all waters, regardless of time after rain, or the tree hole, or old tires. In the flood plain, the density of larvae to their motility can cause ripples on the water. They feed on rotting leaves, organic debris and micro-organisms. Problem is, if there are no mosquitoes, and other filter-feeding creatures will come to replace them? " Biological treatment of organic debris are many, and mosquitoes are not the only one, is not the most important one, "Giuliano said," If you take out a rivet on the wing, is unlikely to stop flying the plane. "
In waters around the world, mosquitoes are an important component of biological communities.
Maybe mosquitoes disappear real effect depends on the water. On North America's East Coast purple pitcher plant (Nepenthes) contains a miniature waters approximately 25 to 100 ml, and mosquito larvae are an important member of this small close group. North America bottle grass mosquito (Wyeomyia smithii) and bottle of grass chironomid (Metriocnemus knabi) is the only living insect, living here are rotifers, bacteria and protozoa. When the other fell into the water after the drowning, chironomus chewing his body, bottle grass mosquito larvae feed on residues, plants provide nutrients like nitrogen. In this case, the Elimination of mosquitoes may affect plant growth.
In 1974, the ecologist yuehan·adikete (John Addicott, now in Canada University of Alberta kalijiaer) published findings about predators and prey within the structure of this species, indicate the presence of mosquito larvae, and enrich the diversity of native animals. In his view, the mosquito control when eating the number of dominant species of protozoa and other native animals to survive. For plants, the wider consequences remain unknown.
If the mosquitoes "ecosystem services"--that is, humans benefit from nature, this may become a strong reason to keep mosquitoes. United States Rutgers University evolutionary ecologist at the University of New Brunswick Dina·fengsaika (Dina Fonseca) cite the ceratopogonidae, chironomidae, sometimes also known as insects called midges (no-see-UMS) this species as a comparison. "People were insect bites by ceratopogonidae, or because they are infected with viruses, protozoa and worms, you will want to eliminate them," she said, "but because the ceratopogonidae mosquitoes are pollinators of tropical plants such as trees, eliminated they would cause us no chocolate to eat. " Storm overseas mobile phone had a shot at it
Adult mosquitoes depend on nectar to give themselves with energy (only to get some female mosquitoes require a blood protein used for spawning), if there are no mosquitoes, a Pollinator will lose thousands of species of plants. McAlester, who rely on crops, they pollinate seems quite useless. "If there is a benefit that they stay, we would have used them," she said, "anything we don't need no mosquitoes, except make them go away. "[The mosquito: where do you like me? the human: I like you get away from me a little bit. ]
Ultimately, does not seem to be a mosquito and other creatures can't do things you can do, except maybe this one-they are extremely good at sucking the blood from one animal, and then plunge into another animal, which provide an ideal channel for the spread of pathogenic micro-organisms.
"Elimination of the harmful ecological effects of mosquito population increases, and this is the result. "Sitelikeman said. Many lives would have been saved, more people will no longer be affected by the disease, and many countries are no longer plagued by malaria. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, mosquito eradication may make gross national product increased by 1.3% (this is according to the World Health Organization estimates that every year due to diseases of GDP consumed), the money can be used to speed up local development. "The disappearance of mosquitoes can reduce the financial burden on the health system and hospital, public medical expenditure will be used for vector-borne diseases into other priority health issues, also reduce the dropout rate. "In Manila, the World Health Organization malaria scientist jiefuli·XI (Jeffrey Hii).
Ecologists from the Florida medical entomology laboratory feier·lunibosi (Phil Lounibos) thought that "Elimination of mosquitoes only temporarily alleviate the human suffering." His research shows that efforts to eliminate a class of pathogenic microorganisms carrying species will be in vain, because the ecological gap will soon be filled by other organisms. His team from the tip of Florida to collect the female yellow fever mosquitoes (Egypt Aedes), found that some of them have been the Asian Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) fertilization, which can carry a variety of human diseases. The fertilization of female yellow fever mosquitoes losing fertility, shows how one species replaced another.
In view of the mosquito-borne disease caused by the serious humanitarian and economic consequences, most scientists think human overall health improvement will exceed the costs of population growth. In ecological systems will cause "collateral damage" point of view, will not win much sympathy for mosquitoes. "Every living thing has an important role in nature" and the romantic view as insufficient to justify mosquito trial. There are mosquitoes in the world, is not intentionally left them ravaged, but because of limited capacity.
Thus, while humans can inadvertently make the good species (from tuna to coral) pushed to the edge of extinction, but all efforts have failed to get the mosquito survival is seriously affected. "They and no in environment in the occupy prison not hit of location," United States mosquito control Association of insects learn home Qiao·kanglun (Joe Conlon) said, "if we tomorrow on can let they disappeared, that they by active of ecological system estimated also on playing a hiccup, then calm to continues to running, natural will has other of species to alternative mosquito, and as is good is bad on said not clear has. "
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