Tasty but Protected-First Evidence of Chemical Defense in Oribatid Mites
Tasty but Protected-First Evidence of Chemical Defense in Oribatid Mites
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DOI：
10.1007/s10886-011-0009-2
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发表时间：
2011-09-01
影响因子：
2.3
通讯作者：
Raspotnig, Guenther
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Heethoff, Michael;Koerner, Lars;Raspotnig, Guenther
甲螨（阿卡里，Aribatida）是土壤分解者食物网中数量最多、种类最多的微型节肢动物类群之一，但对捕食者自上而下的调控机制知之甚少。甲螨的寿命相对较长，有许多形态上的防御适应，因此被认为生活在“无敌人的空间”。大多数还拥有一对大的外分泌油腺，产生烃类，萜烯，芳香族化合物和生物碱的物种特异性混合物，推测allomonal功能，虽然他们的适应价值从未被经验测试。我们开发了一个协议，排放模式甲螨物种，Archegozetes longisetosus的油腺。并提供了“解除武装”的个人作为猎物的多食性Stenus甲虫（隐翅虫科），使用未经处理的螨作为对照。斯滕斯朱诺以解除武装的螨为食，其行为序列和成功率与它们捕食弹簧尾（一种常见的猎物）时观察到的相似。与此相反，螨从控制组与完整的腺体几乎完全拒绝，与腺体区域的接触引起了强烈的反应和清洁行为的甲虫。这是甲螨油腺分泌物用于化学防御的适应价值的第一个证据。该协议的排放油腺应促进未来的研究自上而下的控制甲螨，旨在区分形态和化学方面的防御策略。
Oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida) represent one of the most abundant and speciose groups of microarthropods in the decomposer food webs of soils, but little is known of their top-down regulation by predators. Oribatids are relatively long-lived and have numerous morphological defensive adaptations, and so have been proposed to live in 'enemy-free space'. Most also possess a pair of large exocrine oil glands that produce species-specific mixtures of hydrocarbons, terpenes, aromatics, and alkaloids with presumably allomonal functions, although their adaptive value has never been tested empirically. We developed a protocol that discharges the oil glands of the model oribatid species, Archegozetes longisetosus. and offered 'disarmed' individuals as prey to polyphagous Stenus beetles (Staphylinidae), using untreated mites as controls. Stenus juno fed on disarmed mites with behavioral sequences and success rates similar to those observed when they prey on spring-tails, a common prey. In contrast, mites from the control group with full glands were almost completely rejected; contact with the gland region elicited a strong reaction and cleaning behavior in the beetle. This is the first evidence of an adaptive value of oribatid mite oil gland secretions for chemical defense. The protocol of discharging oil glands should facilitate future studies on top-down control of oribatid mites that aim to differentiate between morphological and chemical aspects of defensive strategies.