Mites and leaf domatia: no evidence of mutualism in Coffea arabica plants

Abstract

Mites and leaf domatia: no evidence of mutualism in Coffea arabica plants. Biota Neotrop. 11(1): http://www. biotaneotropica.org.br/v11n1/en/abstract?article+bn00311012011. Abstract:We conducted experiments by blocking off pit-like domatia from old and new leaves of Coffea arabica L., using tiny resin drops, to investigate the role of domatia on i) mite abundance at the community level and on ii) leaf damages. More than 77% of the mites collected were predators, whereas 19 and 3.3% were omnivores and phytophages, respectively. Domatia blockage treatment had no influence either on mite abundances or leaf damages. However, predatory and omnivorous mites were more abundant on new than on the old leaves; phytophagous mites occurred at very low density and occupied only plants having open domatia. The absence of mutualism between mites and C. arabica probably occurred because the entrances of domatia were too small and did not enable the entry of fitoseid predators in these structures. Resumo: Domácias são pequenas estruturas presentes na junção entre as nervuras principal e secundárias das folhas de muitas espécies de plantas, que podem mediar interações mutualísticas entre ácaros e plantas. Em experimento, nós bloqueamos as domácias em formato de covas de folhas novas e velhas de Coffea arabica L. com gotas de resina, a fim de investigar o seu papel i) na abundância de ácaros na comunidade e ii) nos danos foliares. Mais de 77% dos ácaros coletados são predadores, enquanto 19 e 3,3% são onívoros e fitófagos, respectivamente. Não houve influência do bloqueio das domácias tanto na abundância quanto nos danos foliares. Entretanto, os ácaros predadores e micófagos foram mais abundantes nas folhas novas do que nas velhas; os ácaros fitófagos ocorreram em pequena densidade e ocuparam somente as plantas com domácias abertas. A ausência de mutualismo entre os ácaros e plantas de C. arabica pode ter ocorrido porque as entradas das domácias analisadas eram muito pequenas, não permitindo a entrada dos predadores fitoseídeos nessas estruturas. Palavras-chave: interações entre ácaros e plantas, comunidade de ácaros, limitação de espaço, Mata Atlântica, ruptura de mutualismo.

Mites on Plants

“…Similar blocking studies have been conducted in other countries since with similar results (e.g. Benson 2004 , Monks et al 2009 ), although domatia openings have to be large enough to allow entrance of mites for an effect to be observed (Romero et al 2011 ). When domatia of various shapes and openings with a range of diameters are present, as on the leaves of Camphor Laurel, mites have been shown to sort themselves into appropriately sized domatia (Nishida et al 2005 ).…”

“…8.13c ) or Yellow Mite Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Tarsonemidae) is a pest of Camphor Laurel, but at least in Australia, fungivore tarsonemids are common residents on Camphor Laurel leaves (Walter, unpublished). Romero et al ( 2011 ) reported Lorryia formosa (Tydeidae) as a phytophagous mite on Coffea arabica (Rubiaceae). Although L. formosa is an obligate foliar mite, there is no indication that it is a plant parasite: it occurs on a large number of different plant species and is often the most abundant mite reported, but it has not been shown to damage.…”

Mites associated with sugarcane crop and with native trees from adjacent Atlantic forest fragment in Brazil

“…capria (Ascidae) was found only on C. oblongifolia. Romero et al (2011) also reported the occurrence of Asca sp. and of other phytophagous and predatory mite species associated with domatia in coffee leaves.…”

Mites occurrence on Pachira aquatica Aubl. including aspects of external mouthpart morphology of Brachytydeus formosa (Acari: Tydeidae)

“…ex Kunth, Bauhinia variegata L., Tabebuia roseo-alba (Ridl.) Sandwith (Flechtmann, 1973;Feres, 2000;Feres et al, 2002;Feres et al, 2003;Daud et al, 2007;Feres et al, 2009;Romero et al, 2011).…”