Oribatid mites – inconspicuous diversity from the soil

Abstract

Oribatid mites are fascinating animals. Having come into existence over 500 million years ago, they now live in high densities and show a high diversity in a wide range of ecosystems and microhabitats all over the world. This is a long period of time, which is also reflected in the development of a high variety of defence mechanisms in oribatid mites against their numerous predators. Oribatid mites themselves, however, usually feed on dead organic material, fungi and bacteria rather peacefully. About ten per cent of the known oribatid mite species reproduce purely unisexually – i. e. have “abolished” males in the course of evolution. The fact that this has worked over hundreds of millions of years and has even led to the emergence of numerous new species is a unique model of success in biology – and an “evolutionary scandal”.