#soilecology

The cosmopolitan 'moss' springtail (Neanura muscorum) navigating a miniature forest of fungi on a decaying log. But it isn't alone — all those transparent blobs on its body are in fact curled-up, hitchhiking nematode worms (you can see these better in the second photo)! Much like the baby mite in my last post, these tiny worms are using a larger animal to help them disperse to new environments. It's thought that this 'phoretic' behaviour might be a stepping stone in how parasitism evolved in some nematodes. Read all about the incredible ways soil animals have adapted to the challenges of life, in my upcoming book #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet, which lands just one month from now! #SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #Nature #Entomology #Soil

How about a cheeky bit of mite-on-mite action to help with the midweek slump? This hard-bodied oribatid mite has an uninvited hitchhiker taking it for a ride. The stowaway is a juvenile dust mite (Astigmatina), which is using a special pair of suction pads to keep it tightly clamped onto its host. It’s so well adapted for hitching a lift, that it has entirely given up on feeding during transit, with its mouthparts reduced and its digestive system effectively shut down. The baby mite will stay clamped on like this until its host arrives at greener pastures, where it will then drop off, regrow its feeding ability and eventually develop into an adult. The scientific term for this hitchhiking behaviour is 'phoresy', and plenty of soil animals do it - but mites have arguably perfected it. When you're this tiny, it really pays to outsource your means of travel! #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet #SoilBiodiversity #Macrophotography #SoilEcology #Nature #NaturePhotography #Entomology #Acarology

Did you know that the European mole (Talpa europaea) has a toxin in its saliva which paralyses earthworms, their favourite food? This means that the moles can then store the paralysed earthworms in special 'larder' chambers within their burrows, where they are kept alive and fresh until later consumption. These larders have been reported to contain many hundreds of earthworms at a time! When it's time to visit their larder for a snack, these moles have a clever trick to make sure they don't consume all the unpleasant soil stuck inside the paralysed earthworm's guts... by rolling the earthworm between their front paws, they forceably squeeze the soil out of the worm, making their meal much less gritty! #SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet #MacroFauna #Nature #MacroPhotography #NaturePhotography