tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post1372558602283296291..comments2023-12-24T07:02:43.274+08:00Comments on Catalogue of Organisms: Life in the Fast Lane (Taxon of the Week: Astigmata)Christopher Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075565866351612441noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-24527646808321763932010-07-25T04:44:17.544+08:002010-07-25T04:44:17.544+08:00Yes, even stranger, googling "mite porn"...Yes, even stranger, googling "mite porn" videos gets mostly lectures in higher mathematics.macromitehttp://macromite.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-37749856082085452182010-07-23T10:19:02.882+08:002010-07-23T10:19:02.882+08:00I didn't realise that mite porn was such a pop...I didn't realise that mite porn was such a popular niche. Very interesting.Christopher Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11075565866351612441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-15581503340286557242010-07-23T02:21:32.381+08:002010-07-23T02:21:32.381+08:00Kimiko Okabe and Sun'ichi Makino demonstrate a...Kimiko Okabe and Sun'ichi Makino demonstrate an unexpected beneficial effect of Ensliniella parasitica on its wasp associate Allodynerus delphinalis - the mites attack and repel a chalcidoid (Melittobia acasta)that goes after the wasp pupae: Parasitic mites as part-time bodyguards of a host wasp. Proc. R. Soc. B (2008) 275, 2293–2297<br /><br />Makino has a great video of the mites attacking the parasitoid. Unfortunately, a google video search of 'Ensliniella Makino' only turns up porn, but the paper refers to 'electronic supplementary material' that is available at the journal site.macromitehttp://macromite.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-42582025166237664592010-07-22T23:31:25.538+08:002010-07-22T23:31:25.538+08:00Or perhaps they keep parasitic mites off by occupy...Or perhaps they keep parasitic mites off by occupying all niches on the host?hat_eaternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-60373615017301933922010-07-22T15:56:09.353+08:002010-07-22T15:56:09.353+08:00Great post, and an example of something I don'...Great post, and an example of something I don't thik Ive ever come across - I'm struggling to think of any examples where a host organism has evolved specialised structures and behaviours to accommodate a purely commensal symbiont. Can you think of such a thing? The fact that in A. antilope, the female larvae kill their mites, suggests that it would be possible in theory for the wasp to rid itself of its mites, so why does this bizarre facilitation business persist?? Might the mites do a clean-up job that reduces e.g. fungal or bacterial load in the nest? Has anyone done the experiment of comparing fitness between a mite free and mite-infested nest?Reprobushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10650084661969561056noreply@blogger.com