Animals as Habitats

Abstract

To most non-biologists, a ‘mite’ is an almost invisible creature that lives in the carpet and gives you asthma or that burrows in your skin to produce socially unacceptable scabies. Cat owners may curse the ear mites that infest their pets and those who know that ticks are mites may mention Lyme Disease. Such medically important associations between mites and mammals are discussed in most parasitology texts, and mites associated with human diseases are discussed in our Chap. 10; therefore, in this chapter we cover ticks and other human- and livestock-associated mites superficially, concentrating instead on lesser known relationships between mites and the animals they use for room and board. These associations are not always negative; in fact, many seemingly parasitic mites have no impact on their hosts or may even be beneficial (see section “Mutualism”, below) (Fig. 9.1).