There are over 3000 species of mosquito in environments ranging from the arctic to the most southern regions of the world outside of Antarctica. So, it is not possible to presume that there is one answer to this question. For gene drive technologies applied to the human malaria-transmitting mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, there are several important considerations. These mosquitoes are confined solely to the African continent. Anopheles gambiae is one of approximately 800 species of mosquito in Africa, and ecological research and experience from long standing efforts to reduce and remove the species from environments supports the conclusion that it is not a “keystone species”. A keystone species is defined by ecologists as a species upon which an ecosystem greatly depends and whose removal will trigger a drastic change in that ecosystem.

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