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Saturday, December 21, 2019

What is the Purpose of Flies?

Is There A Purpose of Flies Or Are They Just Here to Annoy Us?

Flies are one of the most annoying and irritating insects.

Flies are extremely stubborn and do not go away despite trying to get rid of them. Now, do flies have a purpose at all? Let’s discuss the purpose of flies and why they are important for the ecosystem.

The Purpose of Flies

Flies include more than 110,000 species!

A few species do not fly but live as parasites or on islands or alpine areas!

Even mosquitoes are a part of the fly family! 

1. Flies Act As Pollinators

Flies like the bee flies and hoverflies pollinate flowers. They aren’t as efficient as bees but they visit flowers that are commonly never pollinated since they don’t contain the nectar that attracts bees. The odor of such flowers may not be very appealing but that doesn’t affect the flies. They include the red trillium, wild ginger, catnip or paw-paw.

Were you aware that if flies didn’t exist you wouldn’t be enjoying the taste of chocolate on a bad day? That’s right. The species of flies are known to pollinate seeds from cacao trees which help in the making of chocolate.

2. Flies Are Part of the Food Chain

The food chain is extremely necessary for the ecosystem to function right, and flies form an important part of it. They act as both a predator and a prey. Flies are a source of food for birds, other insects such as spiders, and mammals. Flies are also a part of the food source of fish, and fishermen sometimes use them as bait.

Other flies like the flesh fly act as parasites or active predators. Fruit flies are known to feed on yeast cells.

Flies are huge sources of protein and thus constitute a delicious meal.

3. Flies Contribute to the Process of Decomposing

Flies form part of the entire cleaning process of the Earth. They are great contributors when it comes to decomposing waste material. For instance, blowflies use rotting carcasses to lay eggs.

Maggots are known to feed on flesh that is rotting and thus contribute to decomposition. They can even be used in times when medical services are unavailable for certain types of wound care, as they feed on the rotting flesh of a wound, but they leave the healthy tissue untouched. These digestive processes are responsible for the release of all nutrients back to the soil.

By carrying out the process of the breaking down of organic matter they help make the soil a lot more fertile. This allows plants to grow better.

A few species of flies are referred to as “detritivores” which means they survive on the decaying matter. This is specifically beneficial when it comes to recycling.

Flies also lay eggs at places with a lot of garbage and trash so that when the eggs develop into larvae they have food nearby and can grow into adults. Fungi and bacteria also use the nutrients released by flies.

4. Carrier of Diseases

An important role played by flies is their ability to transmit diseases and diseases control the overpopulation of other animals. They are easily capable of flying up to two miles without too much effort, which makes them capable of spreading diseases in large areas without meaning to. They could have walked on garbage and then graced your dinner table.

Common house flies are known to spread diseases like dysentery, typhoid fever, and anthrax while mosquitoes might spread diseases like the Zika virus, yellow fever, and malaria. All this is just the byproduct of the natural behavior of true flies.

Concluding the Flies Purpose in the World

If it weren’t for the flies, it would be difficult for bacteria and other organisms to decompose dead matter. Their ability to help decompose matter quickly works on increasing the fertility of the soil.
They’re also very important for the food chain, as many species could be affected if they go extinct.
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Several reptiles like the lizards feast on these tiny flies who act as prey. As predators, flies have a diet that consists of other tiny insects.
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Not just the basic food chain, but these flies are pollinators as well. While bees usually drink nectar from attractive flowers and pollinate these, flies do the more gruesome job of pollinating those with horrible smell or that look rotten. This is one way in which rare plants are able to reproduce with the help of flies.

So like all other insects, animals, reptiles, birds, and fishes, flies also play a role in balancing the ecosystem and even though they’re absolutely annoying, they need to hang around for things to work right.

Sources:
https://www.exterminatornearme.com/flies/purpose-of-flies
https://sciencing.com/importance-flies-10016971.html