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The effect of herbivore faeces on the edaphic mite community: implications for tapeworm transmission

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Abstract

Oribatid mites may be of epidemiological and medical importance because several species have been shown to serve as intermediate hosts for anoplocephalid tapeworms of wild and domestic animals. Despite their economic and conservation significance, relatively few studies examined factors influencing the effective number of oribatid mites that can serve as intermediate hosts. We examined variation in the structure of the edaphic arthropod community in functionally different territory parts of the Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota latirostris), a known definitive host of a prevalent anoplocephalid tapeworm, Ctenotaenia marmotae. We used a field experiment to test whether the abundance of oribatid mites in marmot pastures is affected by the presence of fresh herbivore faeces. We found that the abundance of soil and litter dwelling oribatid mites in marmot pastures did not change shortly after faeces addition. In contrast, numbers of other predominant soil–litter and phoretic microarthropods increased after faeces addition. The abundance of the two predominant phoretic mites colonizing the faeces was inversely related to the abundance of oribatid mites. In contrast, the abundance of a ubiquitous soil–litter mesostigmatid mite was a positive function of oribatid numbers. Although absolute numbers of oribatid mites did not change after faeces addition, our study suggests that, depending on soil quality or type, the probability of tapeworm egg ingestion by oribatid mites can be reduced due to increased interspecific prey-predatory and trophic interactions. Latrine site selection in Alpine marmots is consistent with a reduced probability of tapeworm transmission by oribatids.

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Acknowledgments

We thank P. Mašán and B. Chovancová for discussion on mite and marmot ecology and help with literature. Two anonymous reviewers helped to improve the manuscript. Staff of the Zbojnícka chata cabin provided invaluable logistic support. This study was conducted under approval from the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic (No. 4983/2010-2.1.1) and funded by a VEGA grant of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic (No. 2/0176/10).

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  1. Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 84506, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Radovan Václav & Stanislav Kalúz

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Correspondence to Radovan Václav.

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Václav, R., Kalúz, S. The effect of herbivore faeces on the edaphic mite community: implications for tapeworm transmission. Exp Appl Acarol 62, 377–390 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-013-9743-1

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