Abstrakt
The diversity of food eaten by soil saprophagous mites was misinterpreted for many years. Food selectionby these mites was either neglected or simplified in the earliest papers.
From 1956 onwards, however, several methods were developed for studying the food preferences of mites in laboratory and field studies. We carried out an histological study of the microanatomy of their gut contents, digestion and faeces, an experimental study of their food preferences and tested for different enzymes and presence of microorganisms.
These analyses revealed that there are several categories of soil saprophagous mites ranging from obligatory forms, to specialized consumers up to ubiquitous mites that feed on a wide range of different foods. The adaptations of several species were also recorded under various conditions.
The activities of the different enzymes seemed to be of crucial importance, in particular, the type and sources of these enzymes. Several studies indicate that they may be produced by mites however our results indicate they are the allochthonous chitinolytic enzymes of bacteria.
In addition, their food preferences and feeding habits determine their movement between and colonization of different microhabitats and the stability of the community structure of mites.