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Douglas_Knight comments on Prediction challenge: Zika and birth rates - Less Wrong Discussion

8 Post author: NancyLebovitz 12 March 2016 04:55PM

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Comment author: Douglas_Knight 13 March 2016 03:07:25AM 2 points [-]

Yes, mosquitoes do pollinate and do feed larger animals.

But there are a lot of species of mosquitoes, even a lot of species that feed on humans. If we wipe out a particular species that feeds on humans, it will probably be replaced by another species that feeds on humans and the animals that eat them will adapt. Pollination is usually more specific.

Reducing annoyance means reducing the total population of mosquitoes that feed on humans, at least locally. That would have a bigger consequence for the species that feed on mosquitoes, though I don't know how big.