Parasitic mesostigmatid mites (Acari) — common inhabitants of the nest boxes of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in a Polish urban habitat

Błoszyk, Jerzy; Gwiazdowicz, Dariusz J.; Kupczyk, M.; Książkiewicz‐Parulska, Zofia

doi:10.1515/biolog-2016-0124

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…The material analyzed in this study has been deposited in the Natural History Collections (NHC) at the Faculty of Biology at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Some datasets used in this study were previously published in earlier studies (Błoszyk et al 2006 , 2011 ; Napierała and Błoszyk 2013 ; Błoszyk et al 2016 ; Napierała et al 2016 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most published studies have so far focused on mites (Acari) from the order Mesostigmata, which frequently occur in bird nests. This taxon includes many species that appear to prefer bird nest habitats, including both obligatory bird parasites and facultative species, which are not directly associated with the host (see, e.g., Błoszyk et al 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The results of the research into Uropodina mites inhabiting bird nests show that some mites strongly prefer this type of microhabitat, i.e., the (specialist) nidicoles (Lexico 2021 ), which are not parasites but they reside in bird nests due to the specific microclimatic conditions or maybe some food resources (such as particular nematodes or fungi) (see, e.g., Błoszyk and Olszanowski 1985 , 1986 ; Błoszyk et al 2006 , 2011 ; Napierała and Błoszyk 2013 ; Błoszyk et al 2016 ). Such species have been found so far in the arboreal nests of several species of bird and a subterranean mammal, the common mole ( Talpa europaea L.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2021

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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).

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2021

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“…In addition to the possibility that nests collected after fledging might have already lost some of their arthropod fauna, even longer delays between fledging and nest collection could further reduce the relevance of the extracted arthropods as proxy for parasite pressure. Protocols in studies of fledged nests vary in terms of time between fledging and collection (same day to several months after), between collection and start of extraction (a few hours to 4 weeks), as well as duration of extraction (48 h to 10 d), if these details are even mentioned (see e.g., Tomas et al 2007, Wolfs et al 2012, Kri stof ık et al 2013, Bloszyk et al 2016, Hanmer et al 2017, Baardsen et al 2021. This diversity of methods makes comparisons across studies and species difficult.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in arthropod communities between breeding stages in nests of Great Tits

Baardsen

Matthysen

2022

J of Field Ornithology

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The biotic and abiotic environments in bird nests change during the nesting cycle as eggs are laid and incubated and nestlings develop and eventually fledge. Nest-arthropod communities have been studied for many bird species and are commonly sampled after young fledge. However, the population dynamics of arthropods in nests are expected to vary over the nesting cycle as a result of the changing nest environment, in symphony with arthropod life cycles and generation times. Few investigators have examined nest arthropod communities at different stages of the breeding period. We collected nests of Great Tits (Parus major) at the egg stage, nestling stage, and after fledging, and extracted nest arthropods using Berlese funnels and identified them to Primary Taxonomic Groups (PTGs). Total arthropod abundance, as well as abundance of fleas, parasitic mites, and adult predatory beetles, was higher during the nestling stage than after fledging. The abundance of beetle mites decreased from the egg stage to fledging, whereas larval predatory beetles and scavenger flies increased. Thus, our results demonstrate important changes in overall abundance, but also in the trophic structure of nest arthropod communities during the nesting cycle. Our results also suggest that nests collected after fledging may give biased information on the abundance of parasites, or nest-arthropod communities in general, during the nestling stage. RESUMEN.Cambios en las comunidades de artr opodos entre estados reproductivos en nidios de Parus majorLos ambientes bi oticos y abi oticos de los nidos de las aves cambian durante el ciclo de anidaci on a medida que los huevos son puestos e incubados y los pichones se desarrollan y eventualmente salen del nido. Las comunidades de artr opodos en los nidos han sido estudiadas en muchas especies de aves y son com unmente muestreadas despu es de que los pichones abandonan el nido. Sin embargo, se espera que la din amica poblacional de los artr opodos en los nidos var ıe a trav es del ciclo de anidaci on, como resultado de cambios en el ambiente del nido, en sincron ıa con los ciclos de vida de los artr opodos y sus tiempos generacionales. Pocos investigadores han examinado las comunidades de artr opodos en los nidos en diferentes etapas reproductivas. Colectamos nidos de Parus major en la etapa de huevos, en la tapa de pichones y posterior al abandono del nido por los pichones y extrajimos los artr opodos del nido utilizando embudos Berlese y los identificamos hasta los Grupos Taxon omicos Primarios (PTGs). La abundancia total de artr opodos, as ı como la abundancia de pulgas, piojos par asitos y escarabajos depredadores adultos fue mayor durante la etapa de pichones que despu es del abandono del nido. La abundancia de escarabajos piojos disminuy o de la etapa de huevos a la etapa de pichones, mientras que larvas de escarabajos depredadores y moscas carroñeras increment o. Por lo tanto, nuestros resultados demuestran cambios importantes en la abundancia en general, pero tambi en en la estructura tr ofica de l...

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“…Mites inhabit also cup nests (Møller 1990 ; Mašán et al 2014 ), platform nests (Gwiazdowicz et al 1999 ), natural cavity nests (Pung et al 2000 ), and artificial nest boxes (Stamp et al 2002 ; Błoszyk et al 2016 ) used by cavity nesters when natural cavities cannot be found (Campbell and Lack 1985 ). Observations carried out in platform nests showed that the abundance of invertebrates in nests yearly reused by birds, with additional building material added to the nest structure, was higher than in one-season nests (Błoszyk et al 2005 , 2009 ; Gwiazdowicz et al 2005 , 2006 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mites inhabiting nests of wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Aves: Passeriformes), in the Wielkopolska National Park in western Poland

et al. 2023

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The wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Aves: Passeriformes), is a well-known model organism for studying bird migration, breeding habitat selection and nest predation. The nest acarofauna of this bird species has not been extensively studied so far. To provide a comprehensive report on mite species inhabiting wood warbler nests and to assess infestation parameters (prevalence, intensity, and abundance) for mite species and orders, we collected 45 nests of this bird species in the Wielkopolska National Park in western Poland. Analyses revealed a huge diversity (198 species) of mites inhabiting wood warbler nests. We found individuals belonging to the Mesostigmata, Trombidiformes and Sarcoptiformes. The Trombidiformes, represented in our study only by the Prostigmata, achieved statistically significantly lower intensity and abundance, compared to representatives of other orders. However, the number of recorded prostigmatid species was high (65). The most common were: Stigmaeus sphagneti (22 nests), Stigmaeus longipilis (16), Eupodes voxencollinus (15), Cunaxa setirostris (14), Stigmaeus pilatus (11), and Linopodes sp. 2 (10). The prevalence of Mesostigmata and Sarcoptiformes was equal, reaching 91.1%. Most of Gamasina (Mesostigmata) species found in this study were more characteristic of the soil environment and forest litter than bird nests, but there was also a typical bird parasite, viz. Ornithonyssus sylviarum. None of the observed species of Uropodina (Mesostigmata) or Oribatida (Sarcoptiformes) was typical for bird nests. Among the Uropodina, the highest parameters of nest infestation were achieved by Oodinychus ovalis, whereas among the Oribatida, they were achieved by Metabelba pulverosa. We discuss the importance of wood warbler nests for mite dispersal, survival and reproduction.

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Parasitic mesostigmatid mites (Acari) — common inhabitants of the nest boxes of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in a Polish urban habitat

Abstract: In this study we investigated the mesostigmatid mite communities of starling (

Cited by 8 publications

References 15 publications

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

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

Changes in arthropod communities between breeding stages in nests of Great Tits

Mites inhabiting nests of wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Aves: Passeriformes), in the Wielkopolska National Park in western Poland

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