Department of General Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznan, Poland.
Exp Appl Acarol. 2013 Jun;60(2):163-80. doi: 10.1007/s10493-013-9659-9. Epub 2013 Mar 29.
Unstable microhabitats (merocenoses)--such as decayed wood, ant hills, bird and mammal nests--constitute an important component of forest (and non-forest) environments. These microhabitats are often inhabited by specific communities of invertebrates and their presence increases the total biodiversity. The primary objective of the present study was to compare communities of Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) inhabiting soil and unstable microhabitats in order to explore the specificity of these communities and their importance in such ecosystems. Uropodine communities inhabiting merocenoses are often predominated by one or two species, which constitute more than 50 % of the entire community. Many species occur commonly in particular merocenoses, but are absent or rare in soil and litter, for example, Allodinychus flagelliger, Metagynella carpatica, Oplitis alophora, and Phaulodiaspis borealis. The biology of Uropodina inhabiting unstable microhabitats is modified by the adaptations required for living in such habitats. Mites associated with merocenoses developed special dispersal mechanisms, such as phoresy, which enable them to migrate from disappearing environments. Communities of Uropodina in soil and litter predominately consisted of species which reproduce parthenogenetically (thelytoky), whereas in merocenoses bisexual species prevail.
不稳定的小生境（微生境），如腐朽的木材、蚁丘、鸟类和哺乳动物的巢穴，构成了森林（和非森林）环境的重要组成部分。这些小生境通常栖息着特定的无脊椎动物群落，它们的存在增加了生物多样性的总量。本研究的主要目的是比较栖息在土壤和不稳定小生境中的 Uropodina（蜱螨目：Mesostigmata）群落，以探索这些群落的特异性及其在这些生态系统中的重要性。栖息在小生境中的 Uropodine 群落通常由一个或两个物种占主导地位，它们构成了整个群落的 50%以上。许多物种在特定的小生境中很常见，但在土壤和凋落物中却很少见或不存在，例如 Allodinychus flagelliger、Metagynella carpatica、Oplitis alophora 和 Phaulodiaspis borealis。栖息在不稳定小生境中的 Uropodina 的生物学特性是通过适应在这些栖息地生存的要求而改变的。与小生境相关的螨虫发展出了特殊的扩散机制，如寄生物，使它们能够从正在消失的环境中迁移。栖息在土壤和凋落物中的 Uropodina 群落主要由进行孤雌生殖（孤雌生殖）的物种组成，而在小生境中则以两性物种为主。
