A Study on the Feeding Biology of Soil Oribatid Mite Papillacarus (Papillacarus) elongatus (Acari, Lohmanniidae)
Abstract
The feeding biology of lohmanniid mite Papillacarus (Papillacarus) elongatus Xavier, 2007 was investigated under laboratory conditions (relative humidity 80 ± 2 % and temperature 27 ± 2˚C) using appropriate feeding preference tests. Different microfungi and semi-degraded leaves were provided as food items. To validate feeding biology, the gut enzymes and structural morphology of mouth parts of P. (P.) elongatus were also examined. The results demonstrated that the P. (P.) elongatus are panphytophages, and could feed on both higher and lower plant elements. These alternative feeding guilds might enable these mites to coexist with other soil organisms; moreover, they can be directly involved in the biodegradation of leaf litter and indirectly influence the microbial activity in the soil ecosystem.
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