Terrestrial animals are widely considered to be well protected from damage caused by ambient UV radiation, and thus the direct effects of solar UV-B radiation on arthropods have not attracted a great deal of attention. However, if plant-dwelling arthropods have evolved behavioral adaptations to solar UV-B radiation, but not morphological or physiological adaptations, the resources available to them would be strongly limited. Tetranychus urticae and their dominant natural enemies, phytoseiid mites, usually stay on the lower leaf surfaces. Because of the accumulation of UV-B-absorbing compounds such as flavonoids in the leaves, the upper and lower leaf surfaces provide different UV environments. We tested whether UV irradiation affects survival and reproduction of T. urticae and, if so, whether staying on the lower leaf surfaces is beneficial for their performance in solar UV radiation. Consequently, we observed lethal effects of artificial UV-B irradiation and solar UV radiation on T. urticae. However, by remaining on lower leaf surfaces, the mites could avoid such deleterious effects. These suggest that staying on the lower leaf surfaces is a behavioral adaptation of T. urticae to avoiding harmful solar UV-B radiation. Lethal effects of UV-B irradiation also exerted strong deterrent effects on the hatchability of phytoseiid mites. Additionally, preliminary experiments suggested that phytoseiid mites avoided and quickly escaped from a place irradiated by solar UV. Therefore, solar UV-B radiation may strongly affect the diurnal and spatial patterns of distribution or migration of mite communities on host plant canopies.

현재 우리나라에서 사용되고 있는 수종의 수도용 살충제들에 대하여 벼멸구와 이의 주요천적인 황산적거미에 대한 상대독성을 실내에서 미량국소 처리방법으로 반치사약량을 조사 비교한 결과 PAP(0.4), MPP (0.7), MEP(1.8), Diazinon(2.8) , Carbofuran(7.5), NAC(11.3), BPMC(17.5), Pyridaphenthion(35.9), MIPC(65.7)의 순이었으며 특히 MIPC, Pyridaphenthion은 벼멸구와 황산적거미에 대해 선택성을 나타내었다.