On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 7:57 AM, Michael Cooperman<[email protected]> wrote: > Hello Conor, > Thank you for sharing these observations. Unfortunately, these are not > simple questions to answer, as it would take a prolonged and rigorous > discourse on many of the disciplines of ecology to address all the issues. I > don't know what chemical your county uses for mosquito control but probably > it is not specific to mosquitoes and would affect other insects just as > strongly.
Just a point of clarification, and not to start or prolong a discussion of the relative merits and different insect control tactics, but there are mosquito control options that have few (or fewer) non-target effects. Particularly on terrestrial insects such as grasshoppers or bees. http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/health/mosquitoes/larvicides4mosquitoes.htm I agree with you the rest of your post, except to say that not all mosquitoes are human-feeders, and not all are WNV-vectors (only those that bite both birds and mammals are). Fewer bees probably does equate with fewer flowering plants. Are > mosquitoes ecologically important? In some places it is a resounding yes -- > for example, in places where malaria is abundant, mosquitoes as the primary > vector for malaria were a major control on human populations (i.e., > mosquitoes promoted a high death rate). Are they a key stone in your > community? Probably not, but if you lump them with the rest of the insects > that are locally scarce due to pesticides, you could reasonably expect a > significant ecological response. For example, the birds and bats which rely > on insects for food are likely to be affected. But, on the other hand, > mosquitoes are a primary vector for West Nile Virus and WNV kills many > species of birds -- hence, eliminating mosquitoes could be a benefit to the > bird community. Hopefully you see my point -- the interactions that go on in > a situation such as this are hugely complex and dynamic, so its tough to > give a simple yes/no kind of answer. I realize I've probably frustrated you > more than helped, but that's kind of the way ecology goes (in my opinion). > > Keep up with the good observations, and let your local community know what > you are seeing (i.e., a letter to the editor of your local paper). I bet > you'll find more people than just yourself care. > > Michael Cooperman > Post-doctoral Fellow of the National Research Council in residence at > NOAA-Fisheries, NE Fisheries Science Center. > > > Conor Flynn wrote: >> >> Our field crew is working in the extensive wetlands surrounding Alamosa, >> CO and we've noticed something interesting: there are no mosquitoes in or >> near Alamosa. >> This is because the city sprays for them regularly. We're not >> complaining... but we have also noticed fewer grasshoppers, bees, and frogs >> than we might otherwise expect. Are these (and other) species directly >> affected by the insecticide (which chemicals are used post-DDT?) and/or are >> mosquitoes ecologically important -- even keystone -- species? What happens >> when you remove a parasite from the foodweb? Our field crew is, among other >> things, cataloging the vegetation in the area -- could we expect to see e.g. >> fewer flowering plants? Anything else we could look for? Is anyone doing >> research on this quasi-Silent Spring phenomenon or know more about the >> possible ramifications of parasite/pest control? >
