title: To attach or not to attach? The effect of carrier surface morphology and topography on attachment of phoretic deutonymphs of Uropoda orbicularis (Acari).
abstract: Previous studies on preferences of phoretic deutonymphs of Uropodina for attachment sites have shown that they frequently select smooth and hydrophobic surfaces. The aim of our study was to provide the detailed morphological and topographical characteristics of beetle body surfaces to which deutonymphs frequently attach and to verify how the presence of setae and surface sculpture affects deutonymph attachment. The study was conducted on Uropoda orbicularis (Müller, 1776) and its common beetle carriers: Aphodius prodromus (Brahm, 1790), Aphodius fimetarius (Linnaeus, 1758), Onthophagus nuchicornis (Linnaeus, 1758) and Margarinotus carbonarius (Hoffmann, 1803). Morphology and topography of elytra, femora, propygidia and pygidia of beetles were analysed mainly using SEM methods supported with CLSM and AFM techniques. The hypothesis that deutonymphs may attach to surfaces covered with setae, if seta density is low enough not to disturb mite movement, was tested. The study revealed that deutonymphs attach to surfaces of various types as follows: (i) smooth, (ii) hairy, i.e., covered with setae, (iii) flat and (iv) sculptured. Smooth body parts and body parts covered with setae of low density were most frequently and intensively occupied with deutonymphs. Surfaces of high seta density were avoided by mites. Within elytra of Aphodius beetles, deutonymphs definitely preferred flat surfaces of elytral intervals. On the contrary, densely punctuated propygidium and pygidium in M. carbonarius were heavily infested with deutonymphs. We conclude that carrier surface morphology and topography are important for Uropodina deutonymph attachment, but these two factors cannot fully explain the observed relation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznań, Poland. daria.bajerlein@amu.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Daria
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4848-7930
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bajerlein
authors.affiliation: Electron and Confocal Microscope Laboratory/Department of Animal Physiology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Adamski
authors.affiliation: Department of Precision Mechanics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Koszalin University of Technology, Racławicka 15-17, 75-620, Koszalin, Poland.
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kacalak
authors.affiliation: Department of Precision Mechanics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Koszalin University of Technology, Racławicka 15-17, 75-620, Koszalin, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tandecka
authors.affiliation: Department of Crystal Physics, Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Umultowska 85, 61-614, Poznań, Poland.|NanoBioMedical Centre, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Umultowska 85, 61-614, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wiesner
authors.affiliation: NanoBioMedical Centre, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Umultowska 85, 61-614, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jurga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D008925:Mites / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Attachment devices; Pedicel; Profilometry; SEM; Surface roughness; Uropoda orbicularis