Diverse Microcosmos on Sasa

The diversity in life styles present in the spider mites that occur on Sasa dwarf bamboo is introduced, and several examples are provided to clarify the function of prey mite life styles as anti-predator adaptations. During this study, how and why the Stigmaeopsis spider mite genus, species of which are characterized by nest weaving behavior, disappeared for 54 years before being recovered through detailed ecological and behavioral studies is also described. Furthermore, behavioral studies revealed that “defense by many individuals within large nests” and “protection by small, solid nests” are two extreme and fit strategies by which the parental care of offspring of the spider mite species act as anti-predator strategies. The author provided this model as a new kind of predator-mediated speciation. Therefore, two different sized species coexist on Sasa. Such strategies are closely analogous to combat styles in human-warfare.