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Soil Mites
Introduction
Oribatid mites are small eight-legged organisms related to spiders and ticks. Also referred to as beetle mites, moss mites or armoured mites, they typically live in the soil and are an important part of the soil food web.
Facts About Soil Mites
Photo Credit: D.E. Walter
No larger than the tip of a ballpoint pen, several hundred thousand oribatid mites can be found in a cubic metre of healthy soil.
- Oribatid mites are also called armoured mites and beetle mites because they usually have hard bodies that protect them from being eaten and give them the appearance of miniature beetles. They have also been called moss mites because they can be found in high abundance in mossy habitats, but we also find them across a diversity of other habitats including arid regions of Alberta.
- Oribatid mites mostly feed on fungi, bacteria and decomposing plant matter, thereby playing an important role in decomposition, nutrient cycling, and the formation and maintenance of soil structure.
- While oribatid mites mostly live in the organic layers of soils, they can also be found above ground, including in trees and other vegetation, in arid regions, and in aquatic/semi-aquatic habitats including fresh water, brackish water and marine ecosystems.
Mite Diversity in Alberta
When the ABMI began sampling oribatid mites, 132 species were known to occur in Alberta. As of 2023, 388 species have been detected, including 227 new records to Alberta, 33 new to Canada, and 9 new to North America. In addition, 15 new species have been described, but there are upwards of 70 species that may be new to science.
Why Monitor Soil Mites
- Oribatid mites are a good indicator of soil health, helping to ensure that soils are functioning as healthy living ecosystems that can sustain above-ground biodiversity including plants, animals and humans.
- These mites play important ecological roles in soil formation and development and maintenance of soil structure, decomposition, and nutrient cycling.
- Oribatid mites have strong indicator qualities because they have stable populations, they are typically abundant and diverse in soils—which provides a high likelihood of detection and a strong signal of changes to the soil—they are easy to collect in the field via soil samples, and there are taxonomic resources to identify them to species.
- Finally, oribatid mites have been used globally as an indicator of land cover changes as a result of natural and human disturbances, as well as of changes in soil properties.
Photo Credit: D.E. Walter
Field Roamer (Oribatula sp. 1 DEW)
Research Spotlight
Response of Oribatid Mite Communities to Energy Footprint in the Oil Sands Region of Alberta
PURPOSE: In this study, we examine the relationship between the Oil Sands Region (OSR) energy footprint and oribatid mite abundance, diversity and community composition.
Background
Healthy, functioning soils are rich with soil organisms including oribatid mites. These mites are typically the most abundant arthropod in the soil and a strong indicator of soil health. In the OSR, energy sector activities disturb soils in a number of ways, for example: soil compaction from vehicle and foot traffic; removal of soil during mining activities; and replacement of soils during construction of well pads, industrial complexes and road networks. This study included investigating how oribatid mite communities are affected by energy sector activities in the OSR.
Boreal Elephant-ear Mite (Galumna sp. 1 DEW) is associated with energy-related activities in the OSR.
Key Findings:
- Oribatid mite total abundance was significantly lower at sites with mining or well sites compared to undisturbed sites, while species richness was significantly reduced by mining.
- Compared to undisturbed sites, mite diversity was lower at sites dominated by human footprint types that heavily impact soil integrity, such as mines, urban/industrial sites, roads and well sites.
- Mite community composition differed between sites with native vegetation and sites with intense disturbances, such as mines. For example, Paddle-legged Bishop's Hat Mite (Epidamaeus coxalis) and Yellow Box Mite (Euphthiracarus flavus) were associated with upland type forests, while Field Roamer Mite (Oribatula sp. 1 DEW) and Boreal Elephant-ear Mite (Galumna sp. 1 DEW) were associated with disturbed sites.
For complete results see: Lumley, L.M., E.T. Azeria, V.A. Giacobbo, and T.P. Cobb. 2023. Effects of natural land cover, anthropogenic disturbance, space, and climate on oribatid mite communities in Canada’s oil sands region. Diversity 15:469. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15040469
Meet the ABMI's Resident Mite Experts
Dr. Lisa Lumley
Lead Scientist, Terrestrial Invertebrates
Lisa has over 20 years' of research experience in biodiversity monitoring and invertebrate systematics, genomics and ecology. Her role with the ABMI includes examining soil biodiversity and soil health.
Victoria Giacobbo
Terrestrial Invertebrate Taxonomist
Victoria began pursuing her love for biological diversity in earnest by volunteering for the ABMI in 2014, and started her role as a terrestrial invertebrate taxonomist in 2016. In her spare time, Victoria enjoys playing soccer, camping and collecting insects.
If you have questions about the ABMI's soil mite monitoring program, please get in touch: llumley@ualberta.ca
Additional Resources and Publications
How do we monitor oribatid mites?
Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute. 2014. Terrestrial field data collection protocols (abridged version) 2014-03-21. Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, Alberta, Canada. Report available at: https://www.abmi.ca/home/publications/1-50/46.html
How do we identify oribatid mites?
Walter, D.E., S. Latonas, K. Byers, and L.M. Lumley. 2014. Almanac of Alberta Oribatida, part l, v2.4. Edmonton, Alberta. 542 pp. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.15348.07044
Walter, D.E. and L.M. Lumley. 2021. Almanac of Alberta Acari, part ll, version 3.0. Edmonton, Alberta. 192 pp. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.26989.72166
Selected publications:
Photo Credit: D.E. Walter
Labrador Tea Horned Mite (Dentizetes ledensis)
Flaherty, L., M. Hills, V. Giacobbo, P. Kuczmarski, M. Momborquette, and L. Lumley. 2024. Impacts of garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata, Brassicaceae) invasion on oribatid mites in urban forest soils vary with the size of the invaded patch. Pedobiologia 103: 150933.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031405624008540
Lumley. L.M., E.T. Azeria, V.A. Giacobbo, and T.P. Cobb. 2023. Effects of natural land cover, anthropogenic disturbance, space, and climate on oribatid mite communities in Canada’s oil sands region. Diversity 15:469. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15040469
Lupardus, R.C., J.P. Battigelli, A. Janz, and L.M. Lumley. 2021. Can soil invertebrates indicate well pad reclamation success on cultivated lands? Soil & Tillage Research 213:105082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2021.105082
Meehan, M.L., Z. Song, L.M. Lumley, T.P. Cobb, and H. Proctor. 2019. Soil mites as bioindicators of disturbance in the boreal forest in northern Alberta, Canada: Testing taxonomic sufficiency at multiple taxonomic levels. Ecological Indicators 102:349-365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.02.043
McAdams, B.N., S.A. Quideau, M.J.B. Swallow, and L.M. Lumley. 2018. Oribatid mite recovery along a chronosequence of afforested boreal sites following oil sands mining. Forest Ecology and Management 422:281-293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2018.04.034
Walter, D.E. and S. Latonas. 2013. A review of the ecology and distribution of Protoribates (Oribatida, Oripodoidea, Haplozetidae) in Alberta, Canada, with the description of a new species. Zootaxa 3620:483-499. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3620.3.9
Presentations:
Mites of Alberta webinar. Available to view at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moAkFhKyKYk
We are grateful for the support of the ABMI's delivery partners.
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