Evening all, and happy NYE everyone :) Sitting after 6 drinks of my own, we’ve decided that mozzies are pointless. Could someone please let me know what their point is in the ecosystem?

JTQ said:

Evening all, and happy NYE everyone :) Sitting after 6 drinks of my own, we’ve decided that mozzies are pointless. Could someone please let me know what their point is in the ecosystem?

They are there to remind you not to forget the Aerogard.

JTQ said:

Evening all, and happy NYE everyone :) Sitting after 6 drinks of my own, we’ve decided that mozzies are pointless. Could someone please let me know what their point is in the ecosystem?

food for bats.

JTQ said:

Evening all, and happy NYE everyone :) Sitting after 6 drinks of my own, we’ve decided that mozzies are pointless. Could someone please let me know what their point is in the ecosystem?

They provide food for frogs a willy wagtails.

JTQ said:

Evening all, and happy NYE everyone :) Sitting after 6 drinks of my own, we’ve decided that mozzies are pointless. Could someone please let me know what their point is in the ecosystem?

food source for other critters

But FTR, there is actually no point to anything in the ecosystem :)

If something can find a place that enables its survival, it survives.

Mosquitoes play a key role in the life cycle of animals such as Dirofilaria immitis and filarial worms.

JTQ said:

Evening all, and happy NYE everyone :) Sitting after 6 drinks of my own, we’ve decided that mozzies are pointless. Could someone please let me know what their point is in the ecosystem?

Killing people.

captain_spalding said:

JTQ said:

Evening all, and happy NYE everyone :) Sitting after 6 drinks of my own, we’ve decided that mozzies are pointless. Could someone please let me know what their point is in the ecosystem?

Killing people.

the viruses carried by mosquitos do play a role in propulation control when you think about it but rmoving the entire population of mosquito would have to be another type of ecological disaster for sure

the purpose of life is life itself

their purpose is to avoid evolving self-aware consciousness

transition said:

their purpose is to avoid evolving self-aware consciousness

I keep forgetting to do that.

transition said:

their purpose is to avoid evolving self-aware consciousness

They drink to forget.

dv said:

transition said:

their purpose is to avoid evolving self-aware consciousness

I keep forgetting to do that.

that comment made me laugh

monkey skipper said:

dv said:

transition said:

their purpose is to avoid evolving self-aware consciousness

I keep forgetting to do that.

that comment made me laugh

That’s my role in the ecosystem.

Bubblecar said:

transition said:

their purpose is to avoid evolving self-aware consciousness

They drink to forget.

A mozzie is just a fly with many species of which only a few bite humans and spread diseases. They are an important food source for many animals and even plants (sundews). They pollinate many plant species too. So too bad people, environmentally they are more important than us.

PermeateFree said:

Bubblecar said:

transition said:

their purpose is to avoid evolving self-aware consciousness

They drink to forget.

A mozzie is just a fly with many species of which only a few bite humans and spread diseases. They are an important food source for many animals and even plants (sundews). They pollinate many plant species too. So too bad people, environmentally they are more important than us.

OTOH we’re the only species that assigns environmental importance to anything.

Bubblecar said:

PermeateFree said:

Bubblecar said:

They drink to forget.

A mozzie is just a fly with many species of which only a few bite humans and spread diseases. They are an important food source for many animals and even plants (sundews). They pollinate many plant species too. So too bad people, environmentally they are more important than us.

OTOH we’re the only species that assigns environmental importance to anything.

Environmental importance does not rely on the acknowledgement of humans.

PermeateFree said:

Bubblecar said:

PermeateFree said:

A mozzie is just a fly with many species of which only a few bite humans and spread diseases. They are an important food source for many animals and even plants (sundews). They pollinate many plant species too. So too bad people, environmentally they are more important than us.

OTOH we’re the only species that assigns environmental importance to anything.

Environmental importance does not rely on the acknowledgement of humans.

“Environmental importance” is a concept that only exists in human models of the world. The world itself gets by without requiring such navel-gazing :)

Bubblecar said:

PermeateFree said:

Bubblecar said:

OTOH we’re the only species that assigns environmental importance to anything.

Environmental importance does not rely on the acknowledgement of humans.

“Environmental importance” is a concept that only exists in human models of the world. The world itself gets by without requiring such navel-gazing :)

well , yes if we want to maintain a lot of diversity and increase the opportunities for more species to survive including ourselves then it matters

monkey skipper said:

Bubblecar said:

PermeateFree said:

Environmental importance does not rely on the acknowledgement of humans.

“Environmental importance” is a concept that only exists in human models of the world. The world itself gets by without requiring such navel-gazing :)

well , yes if we want to maintain a lot of diversity and increase the opportunities for more species to survive including ourselves then it matters

Aye, I’m just pointing out that we’re the only species that is aware of these things.

Bubblecar said:

monkey skipper said:

Bubblecar said:

“Environmental importance” is a concept that only exists in human models of the world. The world itself gets by without requiring such navel-gazing :)

well , yes if we want to maintain a lot of diversity and increase the opportunities for more species to survive including ourselves then it matters

Aye, I’m just pointing out that we’re the only species that is aware of these things.

agreed and therefore a great responsibility to uphold

Bubblecar said:

PermeateFree said:

Bubblecar said:

OTOH we’re the only species that assigns environmental importance to anything.

Environmental importance does not rely on the acknowledgement of humans.

“Environmental importance” is a concept that only exists in human models of the world. The world itself gets by without requiring such navel-gazing :)

Most species vote with their lives on the viability of their environment, only we navel-gaze and consider ourselves more important.

PermeateFree said:

Bubblecar said:

PermeateFree said:

Environmental importance does not rely on the acknowledgement of humans.

“Environmental importance” is a concept that only exists in human models of the world. The world itself gets by without requiring such navel-gazing :)

Most species vote with their lives on the viability of their environment, only we navel-gaze and consider ourselves more important.

that’s because we can.

:-)

If it’s any consolation the whole thing will be gone eventually no matter what we do.

dv said:

If it’s any consolation the whole thing will be gone eventually no matter what we do.

Good times & bad times & all times get over.

PermeateFree said:

Bubblecar said:

transition said:

their purpose is to avoid evolving self-aware consciousness

They drink to forget.

A mozzie is just a fly with many species of which only a few bite humans and spread diseases. They are an important food source for many animals and even plants (sundews). They pollinate many plant species too. So too bad people, environmentally they are more important than us.

I agree with PermeateFree here.

Attempts to kill mosquitos by use of swamp clearance and mass spraying of insecticides is perhaps the second worst environmental disaster in the history of mankind. Only agriculture has been worse. During the construction of the Panama Canal there was a boast that no mosquito remained alive in the whole country of Panama. Environmental disaster to the max.

For starters, any attempt to kill mosquitos needs to start and end with just a few anopheles species.
Not the culcinae. They don’t even bite people (well, perhaps you but not me).
Not the endangered anopheles species either.

Interestingly, I’m allergic to the anopheles mosquitos in Sydney but not those in Melbourne. And mrs m is the exact opposite.

You can quickly tell the anopheles mosquitos from the others. The anopheles rest with their tails high. The others don’t.

Bubblecar said:

monkey skipper said:

Bubblecar said:

“Environmental importance” is a concept that only exists in human models of the world. The world itself gets by without requiring such navel-gazing :)

well , yes if we want to maintain a lot of diversity and increase the opportunities for more species to survive including ourselves then it matters

Aye, I’m just pointing out that we’re the only species that is aware of these things.

Don’t you mean we think we are the only species that is aware of such things.. Oh the arrogance.

There are orchids that rely on the mosquito. Just as there are orchids which rely upon gnats.
As was stated above the flycatchers and micro bats also rely on them for food.

If we were as smart as we think we are, we’d make ourselves smell different;y and it will take the mossies ages to evolve a new way to still find us. tasty.

This map from Wikipedia puzzles me.

No anopheles mozzies in Australia South of Cairns? No way.

There are observations to research level on iNaturalist for Anopheles in Victoria.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=7830&subview=table&taxon_id=146949

Up on the left you can click on “map” to show where they are from on a map. I searched for Victoria. Here is the Australia search:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=6744&subview=map&taxon_id=146949

Seem to be mostly East coast, but definitely not only in the North.

https://www.wrbu.si.edu/vectorspecies/mosquitoes/annulipes

Anopheles annulipes Walker, 1856. Australasian region distribution map, according to WRBU:

“The Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU) is a world-renowned center of taxonomic excellence, undertaking cutting-edge research to provide actionable entomological intelligence tools and products that best assess global vector-borne disease risk. In partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, WRBU has grown the U.S. National Mosquito Collection from 200,000 specimens in 1961, into the world’s largest taxonomically and geographically comprehensive collection of over 1.7 million specimens today. WRBU also manages eight other families including sand flies, horse flies, black flies, biting midges, and four other families of non-biting insects.”

https://www.wrbu.si.edu/

mollwollfumble said:

This map from Wikipedia puzzles me.

No anopheles mozzies in Australia South of Cairns? No way.

I guess it’s mostly Culex and Aedes further south.

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

monkey skipper said:

well , yes if we want to maintain a lot of diversity and increase the opportunities for more species to survive including ourselves then it matters

Aye, I’m just pointing out that we’re the only species that is aware of these things.

Don’t you mean we think we are the only species that is aware of such things.. Oh the arrogance.

That arrogance has always reminded me of a passage from Kipling’s “Junglebook”
wherein the Apes repeat by rote;

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling: Chapter 3 › read › thejunglebook-39/

“We are great. We are free. We are wonderful.
We are the most wonderful people in all the jungle!
We all say so, and so it must be true,” they shouted.

Ogmog said:

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

Aye, I’m just pointing out that we’re the only species that is aware of these things.

Don’t you mean we think we are the only species that is aware of such things.. Oh the arrogance.

That arrogance has always reminded me of a passage from Kipling’s “Junglebook”
wherein the Apes repeat by rote;

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling: Chapter 3 › read › thejunglebook-39/

“We are great. We are free. We are wonderful.
We are the most wonderful people in all the jungle!
We all say so, and so it must be true,” they shouted.

The thing is, the “these things” that mr car was talking about are totally different things to the “these things” that mr barked was talking about, so it’s quite possible they are both right, in fact I think they probably are.

The Rev Dodgson said:

Ogmog said:

roughbarked said:

Don’t you mean we think we are the only species that is aware of such things.. Oh the arrogance.

That arrogance has always reminded me of a passage from Kipling’s “Junglebook”
wherein the Apes repeat by rote;

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling: Chapter 3 › read › thejunglebook-39/

“We are great. We are free. We are wonderful.
We are the most wonderful people in all the jungle!
We all say so, and so it must be true,” they shouted.

The thing is, the “these things” that mr car was talking about are totally different things to the “these things” that mr barked was talking about, so it’s quite possible they are both right, in fact I think they probably are.

;)