PurSUiT: Systematics and taxonomy of the mite lineage Uropodina

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Much of the world’s biodiversity is still unknown, especially when it concerns small species, such as mites. A basic understanding of relationships and a stable classification can provide a scaffold to help address this issue, in the process also allowing better assessments of the role of these organisms. The project addresses understudied mite biodiversity with a study of Uropodina (commonly known as “turtle mites”), a diverse group of more than 2,000 described species in litter and soil habitats. Most “turtle mites” are predators of nematodes and small insects but others feed on fungi, and many are associated with insects. Identification of these mites is currently extremely difficult, especially in the tropics where they are most diverse. There is no agreement on classification and there are no good identification tools outside of Central Europe. This project proposes an analysis of relationships for the entire group. This analysis will allow an improved classification and development of easy-to-use, on-line identification tools, which will also be useful for applied research in agriculture and forestry. It will also result in description of over 200 species, helping alleviate the problem that most species are currently undescribed. Other broader impacts are the training of undergraduate and graduate students in mite systematics and taxonomy.Relationships in Uropodina will be determined at the genus-level by employing a strategy of including a wide diversity of species and using both morphological and molecular characters. The aim is to attain a classification that is globally optimal, and thus species sampling will also have to be global. For morphology the project uses imaging techniques, such as confocal imaging and micro CT-scans to supplement more traditional light microscope and SEM images. These techniques will allow creation of 3-D models featuring not only external, but also some internal structures, adding a new source of data. The models are also a great tool for outreach. Collection data, characters for systematic analysis and species description, images, etc. will all be managed using the same electronic infrastructure, which will help avoid duplication of data entry. Data access is facilitated because all elements of the system are on-line. This set-up is easily scalable, allowing use of the proposed system well beyond the lifetime of the project.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.