Have you ever wondered about the meaning of being an ordinary mosquito? Or, for example, butterflies? Scientists are convinced that despite their seemingly absolutely meaningless existence, insects are a necessary link in the chain of life not only of humans, but also of all living things on our planet. According to experts, about 1 million species of animals and plants are already on the verge of extinction, and half of them are insects, the death of which can have catastrophic consequences for the entire flora and fauna of our planet.
What are insects for?
Despite all the “carelessness of being” a butterfly or a mosquito terrorizing us on summer nights, their simple existence in nature can be a vital component for human survival on the blue planet. From school, you may know that one of the most important and necessary functions that insects perform is pollination. Since our planet is home to about 80% of plants that need pollination with the help of other living organisms, insects easily take on this task. Many types of vegetables and fruits simply would not exist if the insects died out.
In addition to fulfilling their main task, a number of insects participate in decomposition processes, recycling leaves and trees in the forest, as well as the bodies of dead animals. Insects use the remaining nutrients in them, and then return them to nature.
In other words, if there were no insects left in the modern world, mankind would have faced not only hunger, but also would have to come up with a technology for the mass processing of corpses. So, due to the absence of a multitude of habitual decomposers, the bodies of dead animals would not decompose for a long time. For example, insects can “decompose” the body of a dead elephant to the bone in a jungle in 2-3 days, but now imagine how many corpses could be on the ground for a long time without their participation …
In the past year alone, about 30% of bees died in Russia due to the emergence of new pesticides.
According to an article published on Sciencealert.com, the main reason for the current decline in insect numbers is the dramatic depletion and degradation of insect habitats due to heavy human use of pesticides and insecticides. Chemicals poison and contaminate not only the feed, but also the soil, causing the habitat for most insects to shrink.
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The mass destruction of butterflies, beetles, ants, bees, wasps, crickets, dragonflies and even flies has dire consequences far beyond their own death. Thus, a significant decrease in the total number of birds currently observed in Europe is directly related to the lack of a forage base necessary for their existence.
Experts note that after the industrial era came into its own and began to be active about 200 years ago, about 5-10% of all insect species have become extinct. Such a rapid pace of destruction of wildlife can lead to disastrous consequences for all of humanity, which directly depends on it.
Daria Eletskaya