Consequences of Spiraea tomentosa invasion in Uropodina mite (Acari: Mesostigmata) communities in wet meadows.

Vegetation cover has been consistently reported to be a factor influencing soil biota. Massive spreading of invasive plants may transform native plant communities, changing the quality of habitats as a result of modification of soil properties, most often having a directional effect on soil microorganisms and soil fauna. One of the most numerous microarthropods in the litter and soil is Acari.

Bird nesting boxes as a specific artificial microenvironment increasing biodiversity of mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata): a case study of Bory Tucholskie National Park.

Bory Tucholskie National Park, founded in 1996, is one of the most recently established national parks in Poland, and therefore, has not been thoroughly examined yet. The authors of the current study present results of their research concerning communities of mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata), inhabiting bird nesting boxes within the area of Bory Tucholskie National Park. The mite community comprises two nidicolous species, i.

Communities of Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) in Nest Boxes Inhabited by Dormice ( and ) and Differences in Percentages of Nidicoles in Nests of Various Hosts.

Bird and mammal nests and nest boxes constitute microenvironments in which various groups of invertebrates can live, including mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata). The main aim of the current study was to ascertain the characteristics of mite communities from the suborder Uropodina, which inhabit the nests of dormice (Gliridae) built in nest boxes. The second aim of the study was to compare the habitat preferences of (C.

Songbird nests on the ground as islands of diversity of ptyctimous mites (Acari: Oribatida) in the primeval Białowieża Forest (Poland).

Due to specific microclimatic conditions and accumulation of organic matter, bird nests are microhabitats that are often inhabited by various invertebrates, including mites (Acari). We tested whether nests of the ground-nesting passerine Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Bechstein) (Passeriformes: Phylloscopidae) [wood warbler] were associated with an increased local diversity of ptyctimous mites (Acari: Oribatida) on the forest floor in the Białowieża National Park, East Poland. In 2019-2020, we analysed 150 warbler nests shortly after they had been vacated by the birds, and additionally we sampled mites in leaf litter at 1 and 6 m distances from 21 of the collected nests.

Mites inhabiting nests of wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Aves: Passeriformes), in the Wielkopolska National Park in western Poland.

The wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Aves: Passeriformes), is a well-known model organism for studying bird migration, breeding habitat selection and nest predation. The nest acarofauna of this bird species has not been extensively studied so far. To provide a comprehensive report on mite species inhabiting wood warbler nests and to assess infestation parameters (prevalence, intensity, and abundance) for mite species and orders, we collected 45 nests of this bird species in the Wielkopolska National Park in western Poland.

Lack of specialist nidicoles as a characteristic of mite assemblages inhabiting nests of the ground-nesting wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Aves: Passeriformes).

Bird and mammal nests provide microhabitats that support a range of other species, including invertebrates. However, the variation between communities of nest-dwelling invertebrates in different nests is poorly understood. The major aim of this study was to analyze the assemblage structure of mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) and from superfamily Crotonioidea (Acari: Oribatida) inhabiting nests of the wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Aves: Passeriformes), located on a forest floor in Białowieża Forest, in eastern Poland.

The maturity index for Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) communities as an indicator of human-caused disturbance in selected forest complexes of Poland.

The necessity of monitoring changes occurring in soil compels us to look for new methods that will allow easy and precise evaluation of the soil quality in a given area. One proposed method is the maturity index (MI) - an index that is based on the distribution of species along the r-to-K continuum in examined populations. In this study, mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) were examined for their appropriateness in MI-based assessments of soil quality.

Underground diversity: Uropodina mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) from European badger (Meles meles) nests.

Badgers can gather huge quantities of organic material to build their nests for winter time and to rear their cubs. Moreover, badger burrows (setts) are characterized by specific microclimate with quite stable temperature and humidity. Their fauna is poorly studied, especially in respect of saprobiontic Uropodina mites.

A Red List of mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Parasitiformes) in Poland.

This article presents a Red List of mite species from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Parasitiformes) occurring in Poland. Evaluation of the conservation status of the analyzed species was compiled on the basis of new criteria, which may also be applied to other groups of soil fauna. The authors employ the names of categories proposed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

, a new genus and species of mite from eastern Australia (Acari: Uropodina).

We describe a new genus and species of mite from eastern Australia, Capricornella bicornuta. The new genus is characterised by the presence of two long appendages on the anterior margin of the epigynal shield of the female.

Community structure variability of Uropodina mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) in nests of the common mole, Talpa europaea, in Central Europe.

Underground nests of Talpa europaea, known as the common mole, are very specific microhabitats, which are also quite often inhabited by various groups of arthropods. Mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) are only one of them. One could expect that mole nests that are closely located are inhabited by communities of arthropods with similar species composition and structure.

Unstable microhabitats (merocenoses) as specific habitats of Uropodina mites (Acari: Mesostigmata).

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.

Communities of uropodine mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) in selected oak-hornbeam forests of the Wielkopolska region (Poland).

Pristine oak-hornbeam forests are among the richest flora and fauna environments in Poland. The agricultural development of the Wielkopolska region has led to the replacement of forest area with farmland. Consequently, the oak-hornbeam forests became fragmented, resulting in the isolation of local arthropod populations.

Non-omnia moriantur-toxicity of mancozeb on dead wood microarthropod fauna.

The effect of Dithane M-45 (dithiocarbamate fungicide; active substance: mancozeb) was studied on microarthropod fauna inhabiting dead wood. Although the exposure was almost never 100% lethal for the majority of observed taxa, almost all (Mesostigmata, Oribatida, some Uropodina, Actinedida, Collembola and Diplopoda) showed very high correlation between concentration of the fungicide and mortality (r > 0.86).