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Proceedings. Biological Sciences Aug 2021Conditional strategies occur when the relative fitness pay-off from expressing a given phenotype is contingent upon environmental circumstances. This conditional...
Conditional strategies occur when the relative fitness pay-off from expressing a given phenotype is contingent upon environmental circumstances. This conditional strategy model underlies cases of alternative reproductive tactics, in which individuals of one sex employ different means to obtain reproduction. How kin structure affects the expression of alternative reproductive tactics remains unexplored. We address this using the mite , in which large males develop into aggressive 'fighters' and small males develop into non-aggressive 'scramblers.' Because only fighters kill their rivals, they should incur a greater indirect fitness cost when competing with their relatives, and thus fighter expression could be reduced in the presence of relatives. We raised mites in full-sibling or mixed-sibship groups and found that fighters were more common at higher body weights in full-sibling groups, not less common as we predicted (small individuals were almost exclusively scramblers in both treatments). This result could be explained if relatedness and cue variability are interpreted signals of population density, since fighters are more common at low densities in this species. Alternatively, our results may indicate that males compete more intensely with relatives in this species. We provide the first evidence of kin-mediated plasticity in the expression of alternative reproductive tactics.
Topics: Acaridae; Animals; Humans; Male; Mites; Phenotype; Population Density; Reproduction; Sexual Behavior, Animal
PubMed: 34344179
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1069 -
Parasitology May 2021We studied patterns of compositional, functional, and phylogenetic α- and β-diversity in flea and gamasid mite infracommunities of small Siberian mammals, taking into...
We studied patterns of compositional, functional, and phylogenetic α- and β-diversity in flea and gamasid mite infracommunities of small Siberian mammals, taking into account host-associated (species) and environmental (biome or sampling period) factors. We asked: (a) How do these factors and their interactions affect infracommunity diversity? (b) Does infracommunity composition, in terms of species, traits, and phylogenetic lineages, deviate from random? (c) Are species, traits, and phylogenetic lineages in infracommunities clustered or overdispersed?, and (d) Do patterns of diversity differ between the three diversity facets and/or the two ectoparasite taxa? We found that the α-diversity of infracommunities was strongly affected by host species, biome, and sampling period. The highest proportion of infracommunity diversity in both taxa was associated with the interaction between either host species and biome or host species and sampling period. Infracommunities of both taxa within, as well as between, host species, biomes, and sampling periods were characterized by the clustering of species, traits and lineages. The patterns of the effects of host species, biome, and sampling period on infracommunity diversity were congruent among the three diversity facets in both fleas and mites. We conclude that the assembly patterns in ectoparasite infracommunities mirror those characteristics of component and compound communities.
Topics: Animals; Biodiversity; Ecosystem; Ectoparasitic Infestations; Host-Parasite Interactions; Mites; Phylogeny; Rodent Diseases; Rodentia; Shrews; Siphonaptera; Spatial Analysis; Time Factors
PubMed: 33583440
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182021000299 -
Dermatology (Basel, Switzerland) 2011
Topics: Animals; Dogs; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Mites; Skin Diseases, Parasitic; Symbiosis
PubMed: 21228556
DOI: 10.1159/000323009 -
Parasites & Vectors Aug 2014Domestic mite species found in indoor environments and in warm or tropical regions are well known for causing allergic disorders. However, little is known about human... (Review)
Review
Domestic mite species found in indoor environments and in warm or tropical regions are well known for causing allergic disorders. However, little is known about human acariasis, in which mites invade and parasitize the human body in various tissues from the gastrointestinal tract to the lung. Here, we summarize the reported cases of human acariasis of pulmonary, intestinal, oral (anaphylaxis), urinary, otic, and vaginal systems. Because the clinical symptoms of acariasis often overlap with other disease symptoms leading to frequent misdiagnosis, we highlight the need for more attention on these infections.
Topics: Allergens; Animals; Humans; Mite Infestations; Mites
PubMed: 25175486
DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-411 -
Experimental & Applied Acarology Feb 2018Spider mites of the genus Tetranychidae are severe crop pests. In the Mediterranean a few species coexist, but they are difficult to identify based on morphological...
Spider mites of the genus Tetranychidae are severe crop pests. In the Mediterranean a few species coexist, but they are difficult to identify based on morphological characters. Additionally, spider mites often harbour several species of endosymbiotic bacteria, which may affect the biology of their hosts. Here, we propose novel, cost-effective, multiplex diagnostic methods allowing a quick identification of spider-mite species as well as of the endosymbionts they carry. First, we developed, and successfully multiplexed in a single PCR, primers to identify Tetranychus urticae, T. evansi and T. ludeni, some of the most common tetranychids found in southwest Europe. Moreover, we demonstrated that this method allows detecting multiple species in a single pool, even at low frequencies (up to 1/100), and can be used on entire mites without DNA extraction. Second, we developed another set of primers to detect spider-mite endosymbionts, namely Wolbachia, Cardinium and Rickettsia in a multiplex PCR, along with a generalist spider-mite primer to control for potential failure of DNA amplification in each PCR. Overall, our method represents a simple, cost-effective and reliable method to identify spider-mite species and their symbionts in natural field populations, as well as to detect contaminations in laboratory rearings. This method may easily be extended to other species.
Topics: Animals; Bacteria; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Female; Male; Microbiota; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; Portugal; Spain; Symbiosis; Tetranychidae
PubMed: 29435771
DOI: 10.1007/s10493-018-0224-4 -
Experimental & Applied Acarology Jun 2017Density, diversity and assemblage structure of Mesostigmata (cohorts Gamasina and Uropodina) were investigated in Scots pine forests differing in forest age (young:...
Density, diversity and assemblage structure of Mesostigmata (cohorts Gamasina and Uropodina) were investigated in Scots pine forests differing in forest age (young: 9-40 years and mature: 83-101 years) in which wildfire occurred. This animal group belongs to the dominant acarine predators playing a crucial role in soil food webs and being important as biological control agents. In total, six forests (three within young and three within mature stands) were inspected in Puszcza Knyszyńska Forest Complex in May 2015. At each forest area, sampling was done from burned and adjacent control sites with steel cylinders for heat extraction of soil fauna. Data were analyzed statistically with nested ANOVA. We found a significant effect on mite density of both fire and forest age, with more mites in mature forests and control plots. In total, 36 mite taxa were identified. Mite diversity differed significantly between forest ages but not between burned versus control. Our study indicated that all studied forests are characterized by unique mite species and that the mite communities are dominated by different mite species depending on age forest and surface wildfire occurrence. Finally, canonical correspondence analysis ranked the mite assemblages from control mature, through burned young and burned mature, away from the control young.
Topics: Animals; Biodiversity; Ecosystem; Fires; Forests; Mites; Population Density; Population Dynamics; Soil; Tracheophyta; Trees
PubMed: 28634718
DOI: 10.1007/s10493-017-0148-4 -
PloS One 2023Infestation with poultry red mites (PRM, Dermanyssus gallinae) causes anemia, reduced egg production, and death in serious cases, resulting in significant economic...
Characterization of cysteine proteases from poultry red mite, tropical fowl mite, and northern fowl mite to assess the feasibility of developing a broadly efficacious vaccine against multiple mite species.
Infestation with poultry red mites (PRM, Dermanyssus gallinae) causes anemia, reduced egg production, and death in serious cases, resulting in significant economic losses to the poultry industry. As a novel strategy for controlling PRMs, vaccine approaches have been focused upon and several candidate vaccine antigens against PRMs have been reported. Tropical (TFM, Ornithonyssus bursa) and northern (NFM, Ornithonyssus sylviarum) fowl mites are also hematophagous and cause poultry industry problems similar to those caused by PRM. Therefore, ideal antigens for anti-PRM vaccines are molecules that cross-react with TFMs and NFMs, producing pesticidal effects similar to those against PRMs. In this study, to investigate the potential feasibility of developing vaccines with broad efficacy across mite species, we identified and characterized cysteine proteases (CPs) of TFMs and NFMs, which were previously reported to be effective vaccine antigens of PRMs. The open reading frames of CPs from TFMs and NFMs had the same sequences, which was 73.0% similar to that of PRMs. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the CPs of TFMs and NFMs clustered in the same clade as CPs of PRMs. To assess protein functionality, we generated recombinant peptidase domains of CPs (rCP-PDs), revealing all rCP-PDs showed CP-like activities. Importantly, the plasma obtained from chickens immunized with each rCP-PD cross-reacted with rCP-PDs of different mites. Finally, all immune plasma of rCP-PDs reduced the survival rate of PRMs, even when the plasma was collected from chickens immunized with rCP-PDs derived from TFM and NFM. Therefore, CP antigen is a promising, broadly efficacious vaccine candidate against different avian mites.
Topics: Animals; Mites; Poultry; Mite Infestations; Cysteine Proteases; Phylogeny; Feasibility Studies; Chickens; Poultry Diseases; Trombiculidae; Vaccines; Antigens
PubMed: 37440547
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288565 -
Bioscience Trends Dec 2009House dust mites are widely distributed in the human habitat and work environment and produce very powerful allergens. The most important allergy-causing mites found in... (Review)
Review
House dust mites are widely distributed in the human habitat and work environment and produce very powerful allergens. The most important allergy-causing mites found in homes worldwide are the house dust mites Dermatophagoides farinae and D. pteronyssinus and the storage mite Blomia tropicalis. It is important to know which mite species are present in a geographical area when performing diagnostic testing and prescribing immunotherapy. We classified the breeding situations of house dust mites in dwellings in northern China. Mites are detectable in March and their number increases from April or May, reaching a peak from July to September. The seasonal distribution of different acaroid mite species may differ: temperature, humidity, and eating habits were the major limiting factors determining species composition and diversity of acaroid mite communities in house ecosystems; comparing to the field and the forest, in human living area including house and working place, acaroid mites showed less bio-diversity.
Topics: Animals; Biodiversity; China; Pyroglyphidae; Seasons
PubMed: 20103849
DOI: No ID Found -
BMC Genomics Dec 2019Predatory mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) are the most important beneficial arthropods used in augmentative biological pest control of protected crops around the world....
BACKGROUND
Predatory mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) are the most important beneficial arthropods used in augmentative biological pest control of protected crops around the world. However, the genomes of mites are far less well understood than those of insects and the evolutionary relationships among mite and other chelicerate orders are contested, with the enigmatic origin of mites at one of the centres in discussion of the evolution of Arachnida.
RESULTS
We here report the 173 Mb nuclear genome (from 51.75 Gb pairs of Illumina reads) of the predatory mite, Neoseiulus cucumeris, a biocontrol agent against pests such as mites and thrips worldwide. We identified nearly 20.6 Mb (~ 11.93% of this genome) of repetitive sequences and annotated 18,735 protein-coding genes (a typical gene 2888 bp in size); the total length of protein-coding genes was about 50.55 Mb (29.2% of this assembly). About 37% (6981) of the genes are unique to N. cucumeris based on comparison with other arachnid genomes. Our phylogenomic analysis supported the monophyly of Acari, therefore rejecting the biphyletic origin of mites advocated by other studies based on limited gene fragments or few taxa in recent years. Our transcriptomic analyses of different life stages of N. cucumeris provide new insights into genes involved in its development. Putative genes involved in vitellogenesis, regulation of oviposition, sex determination, development of legs, signal perception, detoxification and stress-resistance, and innate immune systems are identified.
CONCLUSIONS
Our genomics and developmental transcriptomics analyses of N. cucumeris provide invaluable resources for further research on the development, reproduction, and fitness of this economically important mite in particular and Arachnida in general.
Topics: Acari; Adaptation, Physiological; Animals; Biological Control Agents; Evolution, Molecular; Genome; Genomics; Immunity, Innate; Life Cycle Stages; Mites; Phylogeny; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; Reproduction; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Species Specificity; Transcriptome
PubMed: 31818245
DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6281-1 -
Veterinary Parasitology Jul 2023The poultry red mite (PRM), Dermanyssus gallinae, is a major threat for the poultry industry worldwide. Chemical compounds have been extensively used for PRM control,...
The poultry red mite (PRM), Dermanyssus gallinae, is a major threat for the poultry industry worldwide. Chemical compounds have been extensively used for PRM control, leading to selection of resistant mites. Molecular mechanisms of resistance have been investigated in arthropods, showing the role of target-site insensitivity and enhanced detoxification. Few studies are available about those mechanisms in D. gallinae, and none have yet focused on the expression levels of detoxification enzymes and other defense-related genes through RNA-seq. We tested PRM populations from Italy for their susceptibility to the acaricidal compounds phoxim and cypermethrin. Mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (vgsc) and in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were investigated, detecting mutations known to be associated with acaricide/insecticide resistance in arthropods, including M827I and M918L/T in the vgsc and G119S in the AChE. RNA-seq analysis was performed to characterize metabolic resistance in fully susceptible PRM and in cypermethrin-resistant PRM exposed and unexposed to cypermethrin as well as phoxim resistant PRM exposed and unexposed to phoxim. Detoxification enzymes (including P450 monooxygenases and glutathione-S-transferases), ABC transporters and cuticular proteins were constitutively overexpressed in phoxim and cypermethrin resistant mites. In addition, heat shock proteins were found constitutively and inductively upregulated in phoxim resistant mites, while in cypermethrin resistant mites esterases and an aryl hydrocarbon receptor were constitutively highly expressed. The findings suggest that acaricide resistance in D. gallinae is due to both target-site insensitivity and overexpression of detoxification enzymes and other xenobiotic defense-related genes, which is mostly constitutive and not induced by treatment. Understanding the molecular basis of resistance could be useful to screen or test PRM populations in order to select targeted acaricides and to avoid the abuse/misuse of the few available compounds.
Topics: Animals; Acaricides; Acetylcholinesterase; Mites; Poultry; Trombiculidae; Chickens; Poultry Diseases; Mite Infestations
PubMed: 37207568
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2023.109957