Our recent article published in Scientific Reports is available online!
In this study, we investigated behavioral responses of two passively dispersing cereal-feeding eriophyoid mites: wheat curl mite (WCM, Aceria tosichella) and cereal rust mite (CRM, Abacarus hystrix) to potential dispersal cues. We found that wind was the most important cue influencing the mites’ behavior, what may facilitate long-distance dispersal and suggests high invasive potential. WCM significantly increased its ‘standing erect’ position when exposed to air currents. However, the proportion of potential dispersers was low, what may suggest that there are predisposed dispersers and residents in the population. WCM was generally more active than CRM which may be related to its high invasive potential.
The study was done in cooperation with the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada and the Department of Applied Entomology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences.
The manuscript is part of Agnieszka Kiedrowicz’s PhD thesis. Congratulations!
The full article available here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-04372-7
