[2] Oribatid mites are by far the most prevalent of all arthropods in forest soils, and are essential for breaking down organic detritus and distributing fungi.

[7] The Oribatida are of economic importance as hosts of various tapeworm species,[8] and by increasing the breakdown of organic material in the soil, in a similar manner to earthworms.

[9] Many species of oribatid mites require extremely specific habitats, resulting in large diversity within the order due to the many niches they evolve to.

Some species are especially suited to dry conditions, or on bare lichen covered rocks, but that largest section of Oribatida prefers the moist forest floor and its accompanying litter.

[12] However, it was recently shown that parthenogenetic oribatid mite species actually possess a widely adapted general-purpose genotype, and thus each such lineage might be viewed as a “jack-of-all-trades”.