The evolutionary history and timeline of mites in ancient soils
Acariform mites play a crucial role as primary soil decomposers, impacting the carbon cycle. However, the timing of their diversification is uncertain, with estimated dates ranging from the Precambrian (no land plants) to the Carboniferous (diverse terrestrial ecosystems). One factor affecting these time estimates is an uncertain phylogenetic position of the earliest unequivocal fossil mites from the Devonian Rhynie Chert, which have been classified in five modern families and three suborders. Here, we thoroughly examine these specimens, assign them to a single species Protacarus crani (family Protoacaridae, fam. nov., suborder Endeostigmata) and integrate this information into a time-calibrated phylogenetic analysis. Our phylogeny suggests a Cambrian basal divergence of Acariformes (508-486 Ma), coinciding with the land colonization by bryophytes. At this time, the mites' ecological niches were probably diversified beyond the upper soil. Our study provides temporal context, improves the accuracy of fossil dating, and underscores the importance of mites' diverse habitats and their potential roles in soil food webs.
Authors
- Dmitry Vorontsov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1701-1748)
- Qixin He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1696-8203)
- Pavel Borisovich Klimov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9966-969X)
- Gregory D. Edgecombe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9591-8011)
- Almir R. Pepato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2944-4209)
- Samuel J. Bolton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5807-8519)
- Claire Mellish
- Vasiliy B. Kolesnikov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6177-7858)
- Henk R. Braig (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9592-1141)
- M. Alejandra Perotti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3769-7126)
- Philipp E. Chetverikov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1300-1486)
- Alexander D. Ball (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5082-5375)
Institutions
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (BR)
- Natural History Museum (GB)
- Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
- Zoological Institute (RU)
- National University of San Juan (AR)
- Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology (RU)
- Institute of Biology of Inland Waters named Ivan Dmitrievich Papanin (RU)
- University of Reading (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2025-04-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-96115-2
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Study of Mite Species
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 9.08
Funders
- Purdue University
- University of Cincinnati
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster