Romero Gustavo Q, Benson Woodruff W
Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), C.P. 6109, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2005 Aug;8(4):436-40. doi: 10.1016/j.pbi.2005.05.006.
Leaf domatia, minute structures that typically house mites and other small arthropods, are produced by an impressive number of plants; however, their role in mediating plant-mite mutualism has only recently been elucidated. New evidence indicates that domatia function primarily as refuges for beneficial mites against predators. The presence of domatia therefore results in more beneficial mites on leaves, fewer pathogen attacks and reduced leaf herbivory. Unexpectedly, herbivorous mites are specialized domatia inhabitants of some plants. By providing refuges for herbivores, however, domatia may stabilize interactions between predator and their mite prey and thereby reduce the chances of herbivore outbreaks. Understanding the ecological mechanisms that promote beneficial interactions between mites and plants could have important implications for pest management.
叶窝是一种微小的结构，通常栖息着螨虫和其他小型节肢动物，许多植物都会产生叶窝；然而，它们在介导植物与螨虫共生关系中的作用直到最近才得以阐明。新证据表明，叶窝主要作为有益螨虫躲避捕食者的避难所。因此，叶窝的存在会使叶片上出现更多有益螨虫，减少病原体攻击并降低叶片被食草动物啃食的程度。出乎意料的是，植食性螨虫是一些植物叶窝的特定居住者。然而，通过为食草动物提供避难所，叶窝可能会稳定捕食者与其螨虫猎物之间的相互作用，从而减少食草动物爆发的可能性。了解促进螨虫与植物之间有益相互作用的生态机制可能对害虫管理具有重要意义。
