Is there really a need for insects to exist?

[Nanaboostme]

every insect has a purpose and many have different benefits directly or indirectly, for example certain species of mosquitos are needed and beneficial. try searching it up on google....

[Raptor With a Saber]

There has to be insects other wise who will carry on after humans wipe themselves out? But really insects are part of the way the earth is without them earth wouldn't be earth.

[K i s u]

For All insects? perhaps not but for a large percent of them we're in need.. it's how the worlds worked so far.

[MerinPally]

Wow is this actually a serious question? First thing you learn about food webs or food chains is that if you remove a level, everything above it collapses. The only thing you could remove and not cause a problem would be the apex predator. You say that insects are good for nothing than a food source but then say animals that live off insects shouldn't need to eat them. Then why would they be a good food source? They wouldn't now would they? Your own thought process contradicts itself.

You have a very narrow minded view of what constitutes a good organism when the crux of your argument against them is "they're annoying". Evolution doesn't happen to annoy you. Evolution happens and then if the organisms fill a niche in an ecosystem that isn't already occupied then it survives and breeds and the whole thing continues.

Also, you've clearly never seen Team America. Cockroaches run North Korea. Keep up man.

[Arrowstormen]

The one insect I've never understood is mosquitoes. They suck your blood, leave some poison inside you that's annoying as hell, and fly out to mate and create more of them, rinse and repeat. What's their purpose for the eco-system?

[MerinPally]

The one insect I've never understood is mosquitoes. They suck your blood, leave some poison inside you that's annoying as hell, and fly out to mate and create more of them, rinse and repeat. What's their purpose for the eco-system?

Like other midges, they are disease spreaders in some species which controls other insects. That's a biological niche which they fill. They're also detritivores and clean up waste from other creatures. Same as flies do, which is one that people also scratch their heads over what it's "for". And by waste it doesn't necessarily be faeces, things like fallen leaves and leaking sap and stuff.

[Endus]

So far the only good argument Ive seen mentioned here is pollination which is done primarily by bees and butterflies. So those we could keep.

Bees and butterflies are by no means the only insect that helps with that.

Dead stuff would rot on its own without bugs eating them, and things that eat insects could get just as much nourishment from grubs or worms instead.

No, decomposition doesn't just happen on its own. It's the combined work of both bacteria, fungus, and insects. Without insects, stuff would take MUCH longer to decompose and create a much greater risk of nasty bacteria forming.

And grubs, in particular, are typically larval forms of insects.

The Earth survived just fine and didnt turn into a wasteland when dinosaurs were eradicated, and dodo birds, and mammoths and all the other millions of animals that went extinct over the years/ I think we would be fine without flies and mosquitos

What you miss is that insects have existed throughout those periods. They predate the dinosaurs. They are one of the oldest existing branches of animal life on the planet. The entire ecosystem is predicated upon their existence.

[Dezerte]

The one insect I've never understood is mosquitoes. They suck your blood, leave some poison inside you that's annoying as hell, and fly out to mate and create more of them, rinse and repeat. What's their purpose for the eco-system?

They are primarily a food source, as far as we know. Thing is, it's very hard to determine the exact roles of lifeforms so we'd rather not risk disturbing the ecosystem.

[Boogums]

I cant seem to come up with any reason for insects other than for a food source. Anything that eats insects could just eat something else if they didnt exist. I see no good reason for them to exist as all they do is annoy us. They make our cars dirty, sneak into our homes, destroy our crops, spread diseases, poison us if they are toxic, and are generally an annoyance as they buzz past our ears and fly into our eyes. Why cant we just eradicate all insects? All we would have to do is spray for them like they do near rivers for mosquitos and black flies. They could spray everywhere for all bugs and eliminate them once and for all.

They poison us if they're poisonous. Toxic things toxify us
/star
/rainbow

Also, pollination, look it up.

Also, insects have been around a lot longer than humans have.

[slime]

Define positive.

I'd say to see the Earth at it's peak of diverse Ecology, teeming with life.

[Nanaboostme]

The one insect I've never understood is mosquitoes. They suck your blood, leave some poison inside you that's annoying as hell, and fly out to mate and create more of them, rinse and repeat. What's their purpose for the eco-system?

there are over 3000 species of mosquitos. The one you're use to are the ones that suck bloods off of humans and spread diseases like malaria. HOWEVER there are certain species of mosquitos that can actually cure malaria and so forth. Sounds like you dont really know much about this "pest"

[Deleted]

The entire food chain would collapse and you'd be dead. Certainly a much bigger impact on the ecosystem than the disappearance of humans.

[MerinPally]

there are over 3000 species of mosquitos. The one you're use to are the ones that suck bloods off of humans and spread diseases like malaria. HOWEVER there are certain species of mosquitos that can actually cure malaria and so forth. Sounds like you dont really know much about this "pest"

This whole thread sounds like people who never did biology past the mandatory school years to be honest. One of the first things I learnt taking it past that was that only 1 type of organism can occupy a niche in an ecosystem. If a niche does not exist or is already taken by another species then that species will be outcompeted and die, or will outcompete the current one and that will die but no 2 species can occupy the same niche. Therefore, under that biological definition, every organism that survives is in its niche in its ecosystem and has a use.

[Nutri]

I'm just baffled that you really can't think of any reason for insects to exist.

Truly stunned.

Are you really that narrow minded? My jaw just dropped. Pay some more attention at school, or spend some more time on Discovery/NG or read a bloody nature encyclopedia. Almost every bug you squash because you're bored has at least some purpose in the greater picture that is called 'nature'.

[MerinPally]

Yeah. The entire food chain would collapse and you'd be dead. Certainly a much bigger impact than the disappearance of humans.

It was calculated a few years back that if one very specific species of bee which was already endangered died out, a certain flower would too as it's the only insect that pollinates it, and through knock on effects it theoretically could wipe out all life on the planet. Obviously that won't happen but the chance is there which makes such a case for conservation of all animals no matter how "annoying" it seems to be.

[Deleted]

If al mamals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish would dissapear from the earth in an instant, the world would continue as normal.

If al insects would dissapear overnight, we'd all be dead in a few days(no exaggeration).

[Spydahlol]

dont take away muh insects!

[derpkitteh]

everything has a reason to be here.... except mosquitos. they offer nothing to the world, and live only to cause strife and aggravation. even spiders have more use than mosquitos.

[Deleted]

It was calculated a few years back that if one very specific species of bee which was already endangered died out, a certain flower would too as it's the only insect that pollinates it, and through knock on effects it theoretically could wipe out all life on the planet. Obviously that won't happen but the chance is there which makes such a case for conservation of all animals no matter how "annoying" it seems to be.

It won't wipe out all life, but it will wipe out a large part of it which is based on insects. Obviously life didn't come on earth through insects, so the complete disappearance of life isn't the case. Just the disappearance of terrestrial animal life.

---------- Post added 2013-05-27 at 07:44 PM ----------

everything has a reason to be here.... except mosquitos. they offer nothing to the world, and live only to cause strife and aggravation. even spiders have more use than mosquitos.

Spiders aren't exactly insects.

[MerinPally]

Spiders aren't exactly insects.

Also, bugs =/= insects... it's a pet peeve of mine Waiting to see someone use them interchangeable and me need a lie down.