Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Feather mites (Acari: Astigmata): ecology, behavior, and evolution.

Heather C Proctor1

  • 1Australian School of Environmental Studies, Griffith University, Nathan 4111 Queensland, Australia. hproctor@ualberta.ca

Annual Review of Entomology
|September 5, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Feather mites, including Analgoidea, Pterolichoidea, and Freyanoidea, exhibit diverse feeding habits and extreme sexual dimorphism. Their distribution is influenced by environmental factors and host condition, with phylogenies often mirroring host evolution but sometimes showing host-jumping events.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Myopedicellina, a replacement name for Myosoma Robertson (Entoprocta: Pedicellinidae).

Zootaxa·2025
Same author

New feather mites of the genus Neodectes (Acariformes: Proctophyllodidae) from honeyeaters (Passeriformes: Meliphagidae) in Australia.

Zootaxa·2024
Same author

Host space, not energy or symbiont size, constrains feather mite abundance across passerine bird species.

The Journal of animal ecology·2023
Same author

Cryptic carnivores: Intercontinental sampling reveals extensive novel diversity in a genus of freshwater annelids.

Molecular phylogenetics and evolution·2023
Same author

The Distribution of Quill Mites (<i>Betasyringophiloidus seiuri</i>) Among Flight Feathers of the Ovenbird (<i>Seiurus aurocapilla</i>).

The Journal of parasitology·2020
Same author

DNA barcodes expose unexpected diversity in Canadian mites.

Molecular ecology·2019

Area of Science:

  • Acarology
  • Avian Biology
  • Symbiotic Relationships

Background:

  • Birds host diverse symbiotic mites, notably feather mites from three superfamilies: Analgoidea, Pterolichoidea, and Freyanoidea.
  • These mites have adapted to various avian integument locations from ancestral burrowing habitats.
  • Feather mite diets range from parasitic feeding on feather/skin to paraphagy (consuming feather oils).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the diversity and ecological roles of astigmatan feather mites.
  • To investigate factors influencing feather mite abundance and distribution.
  • To examine the evolutionary relationships between feather mites and their avian hosts.

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenetic analysis of mite lineages.
  • Ecological surveys assessing mite abundance and location.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Correlation studies on environmental factors and host condition.

    • Main Results:

    • Extreme sexual dimorphism is common in feather mites, with male structures often of unknown function.
    • Mite abundance and location are affected by season, temperature, light, humidity, and host health.
    • Feather mite phylogeny frequently parallels host phylogeny, but host-jumping and "missing the boat" events are observed.

    Conclusions:

    • Feather mite diversity is significant, with varied ecological strategies and host associations.
    • Environmental and host factors play crucial roles in feather mite population dynamics.
    • Evolutionary dynamics include co-phylogeny with hosts and instances of host-switching.