What will happen if flies and mosquitoes cease to exist?

In the summer it is very pleasant to fantasize about a wonderful world in which all mosquitoes and flies have disappeared: now there are no bites, annoying "bzzs" and squeaks. Let’s figure out what will happen if these insects really disappear one day.

What if the mosquitoes disappear?

Imagine that all blood-sucking mosquitoes magically disappeared in the world - and this is about 3600 species of insects, not only annoying people with their squeaks and bites, but also carrying malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever and other diseases. Diseases are almost gone, people do not suffer from bites - that's good. But where's the catch?

Mosquitoes play a very important role in the functioning of natural ecosystems. First of all, they are food for a huge variety of other groups of animals - birds, bats, frogs and even other insects. Those who cannot adapt to other food will perish. Plants pollinated by male mosquitoes will disappear.

And mosquito larvae are the main food for small fish fry. The disappearance of larvae will not only significantly affect other populations. The fact is that the larvae are a natural filter of water, fine organic matter of water bodies (bacteria and various unicellular algae) are food for them. Freshwater bodies will become much dirtier, and the natural enemies of the larvae - for example, aquatic crustaceans - will begin to multiply in huge numbers. In some reservoirs, plants that received fertilization due to the activity of mosquito larvae will disappear.

There will be more other blood-sucking insects - midges, horseflies and ticks will fill the "vacant space".

The reindeer population will increase as they will be able to get to hard-to-reach places that previously could not be reached due to mosquitoes, and therefore the number of lichens and other plants that deer eat will decrease dramatically.

“African jungles and mosquito-free Asian forests will become much more accessible. People will begin to develop new territories in the wilderness, cutting down trees, the planet's population will grow, which can lead to a shortage of water and resources. American scientist David Quammen even noted that “over the past ten thousand years, no one has done more to preserve forests than mosquitoes.”

What if the flies disappear?

Like mosquitoes, flies not only irritate people, but also carry dangerous diseases, including intestinal infections. The flies seem to be useless, but what if they disappear?

Flies benefit from the ability of their larvae to decompose tissue. The larvae are the orderlies of nature; they destroy the decomposed corpses and rotting products in the fields, lakes, in the forest. Flies help recycle plant and animal waste, animal and human excreta. So, insects recycle all food waste thrown away by people. Surprisingly, the world would be much dirtier without the flies.

Plants that depend on fly pollination would be gone - about a third of the plants in the tundra and alpine ecosystems, as well as many flowers in the tropics. Parasitic and predatory flies participate in complex life cycles - adults pollinate plants, and their larvae devour bugs and caterpillars. Frogs and many birds would have to find a new source of food - or disappear after the flies.