Do ticks actually serve any purpose in nature?

[RustyPine17]

I've been wondering if ticks have any redeeming qualities or if they're just pure nuisances. Anyone know if they play any important role in the ecosystem, or are they just here to annoy us?

 

[Morgan101]

I've been wondering if ticks have any redeeming qualities or if they're just pure nuisances. Anyone know if they play any important role in the ecosystem, or are they just here to annoy us?

I would put mosquitoes in the same category, so if we are asking about ticks, let's ask about mosquitoes as well.

To answer the original question, ticks have no redeeming value of which I am aware.

 

[wvpv]

Bird, reptile and opossum (allegedly) food.

 

[cowpoke]

Not sure about their original purpose but it's rather vexxing that our gov has turned them into disease spreading bioweapons….