Competitive Exclusion, Harem Behaviour and Host Specificity of the Water Mite Unionicola ypsilophora (Hydrachnellae, Acari) Inhabiting Anodonta cygnea (Unionidae)
✍ Scribed by Dr. Cornelis Davids; Johanna Holtslag; Ronald V. Dimock Jr.
- Book ID
- 102869758
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1988
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 539 KB
- Volume
- 73
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1434-2944
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
The co-occurring freshwater mussels Anodonta cygnea and A. anatina serve as hosts for the water mites Unionicola ypsilophora and U. intermedia, respectively. Male U. ypsilophora display a territorial behaviour. They fight with other males, and as a result, there is usually only one male per host. As a consequence, this intrasexual aggression results in female-defence polygyny, or a harem mating system. I n contrast, U . intermedia shows no antagonistic behaviour between males. A. cygnea can serve as a host for U. intermedia, but this mite species apparently is excluded from the mussel by U. ypsilophora. I n this way, U. intermedia is restricted by competitive exclusion t o the mussel A. anatina.