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

Napierala, Agnieszka; Maziarz, Marta; Hebda, Grzegorz; Broughton, Richard K. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6838-9628; Rutkowski, Tomasz; Zacharyasiewicz, Michal; Bloszyk, Jerzy. 2021 Lack of specialist nidicoles as a characteristic of mite assemblages inhabiting nests of the ground-nesting wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Aves: Passeriformes). Experimental and Applied Acarology, 84 (1). 149-170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-021-00620-8

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Abstract/Summary

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. We also assessed the correlation between the nest material used by the birds with the assemblage structure of Uropodina mites, and compared the results with published studies of the nests of other birds and a mammal (common mole, Talpa europaea), and also with communities of mites inhabiting the soil. The field research was conducted in the strict nature reserve of the Białowieża National Park, a near-primeval European temperate forest. In 2019, immediately after the breeding period, 69 wood warbler nests and 439 soil samples were collected. Analyses revealed assemblages of Uropodina mites inhabiting the nests that consisted of 14 species, mostly common soil species. Only five species of oribatid mites from superfamily Crotonioidea were present in the nest material. Analyzed nests had a high percentage of tree leaves and grass blades, whereas moss was the least frequent component of the nest material. The Uropodina mites were more abundant in the nests that had greater amounts of grass blades, but similar relationships were insignificant for the nests with varying amounts of tree leaves or moss. The assemblages of Uropodina mites inhabiting wood warbler nests were very similar to those found in soil and nests of the common mole, but they lacked typical nest-dwelling species of Uropodina (i.e., specialized nidicoles).

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-021-00620-8
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Biodiversity (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	0168-8162
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	assemblage structure, Crotonioidea, nest of birds, unstable microhabitats, Uropodina
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment
Date made live:	14 Jun 2021 13:09 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/530504

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