Do ticks actually serve any purpose in the ecosystem?

[RustyPine17]

I've been wondering if these little bloodsuckers do anything beneficial in nature or if they're just here to annoy us. Anyone know what roles they play, if any?

 

[Swamphunter]

Other than annoying every outdoorsman ever, can't think of one reason for their existence.

 

[Jim0001]

They serve the same purpose as flies, leeches, mosquitoes etc.

 

[Virginia 01]

They are nutritious food for several animals, from reptiles to mammals. Eating an insect full of mammal blood is good protein for their predators. Part of the food cycle I guess.

Ground feeding birds eat them, including bird birds like turkeys. Possums are said to eat them with relish, but the science of that keeps changing their conclusions.
Frogs eat them, and so on.