Saturation deficit and deer density affect questing activity and local abundance of Ixodes ricinus (Acari, Ixodidae) in Italy

2011 ◽  
Vol 183 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 114-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Tagliapietra ◽  
R. Rosà ◽  
D. Arnoldi ◽  
F. Cagnacci ◽  
G. Capelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ixodes Ricinus ◽  
Saturation Deficit ◽  
Deer Density ◽  
Local Abundance ◽  
Questing Activity

scholarly journals Variable Strength of Forest Stand Attributes and Weather Conditions on the Questing Activity of Ixodes ricinus Ticks over Years in Managed Forests

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e55365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Lauterbach ◽  
Konstans Wells ◽  
Robert B. O'Hara ◽  
Elisabeth K. V. Kalko ◽  
Swen C. Renner
Keyword(s):  
Ixodes Ricinus ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Variable Strength ◽  
Questing Activity ◽  
Ixodes Ricinus Ticks ◽  
Stand Attributes

scholarly journals Meteorological and climatic variables predict the phenology of Ixodes ricinus nymphs activity in France, accounting for habitat heterogeneity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phrutsamon Wongnak ◽  
Maude Jacquot ◽  
Séverine Bord ◽  
Albert Agoulon ◽  
Frédéric Beugnet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Borreliosis ◽  
Ixodes Ricinus ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Negative Binomial Regression ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
Minimum Relative Humidity ◽  
Questing Activity ◽  
Ixodes Ricinus Ticks ◽  
Exposure Risks

Abstract Ixodes ricinus ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are the most important vector for Lyme borreliosis in Europe. As environmental and climate changes might affect the distribution and activity of tick populations, this study aimed to determine the effects of environmental factors, i.e., meteorological, bioclimatic, and habitat characteristics on questing activity of I. ricinus nymphs across diverse climatic types in France over an 8-year period. Questing activity was observed using a repeated removal sampling design with a cloth-dragging technique in 11 sampling sites from 7 tick observatories from 2014 to 2021 at approximately 1-month intervals, involving 631 sampling campaigns. Three phenological patterns were observed, potentially following a climatic gradient. The mixed-effects negative binomial regression revealed that observed nymph counts were driven by different interval-average meteorological variables, including one-month average temperature, previous-season average temperature, and half-year average minimum relative humidity. The interaction effects indicated that the phenology in colder climates peaked differently from that of warmer climates. Also, the land cover characteristics that support the highest baseline abundance were moderate forest fragmentation with transition borders with agricultural areas. Finally, our model could potentially be used to predict seasonal human-tick exposure risks in France that could contribute to mitigating Lyme borreliosis risks.

scholarly journals Sampling scale and season influence the observed relationship between the density of deer and questing Ixodes ricinus nymphs

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor R Dickinson ◽  
Caroline Millins ◽  
Roman Biek
Keyword(s):  
Ixodes Ricinus ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Line Transect ◽  
Observation Level ◽  
Vector Species ◽  
Deer Density ◽  
Sampling Scale ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background The relationship between environmentally transmitted tick parasites, Ixodes spp., and their main reproductive host, deer, is generally thought to be positive. However, measuring host abundance and density directly can be challenging and indirect methods are often used. The observed relationship between the parasite and host may be affected by sampling scale and season, which could lead to different inferences being made. Here, we aimed to test the effect of sampling scale and season on the relationship between density of deer and the density of questing Ixodes ricinus nymphs. Methods The density of deer (primarily Dama dama) was estimated using line transect distance sampling of deer dung quantified in different seasons (winter and summer) and measured at three different nested scales (site, transect and observation level). Questing nymph density was measured using blanket drag methods and estimates were calculated at the same scales as deer density estimates. General linear models were used to evaluate the relationship between questing nymphs, deer density and other environmental variables at each sampling scale and each season deer density was measured at. Results While a positive relationship between deer density and questing nymph density was detected at the site and transect scale, no relationship was apparent at the observation level. This was likely due to increased variation and reduced precision of deer dung counts at the finest sampling scale. Seasonal changes in deer populations were observed likely reflecting seasonal shifts in habitat usage. The summer estimates of deer density explained questing nymph density whereas winter estimates did not. Conclusions Our results show that the scale of sampling can affect the detectability of the positive association between host and vector species. Furthermore, such associations can be obscured if hosts exhibit seasonal changes in habitat use. Thus, both sampling scale and season are important to consider when investigating the relationship between host and vector species.

Higher sika deer density is associated with higher local abundance of Haemaphysalis longicornis nymphs and adults but not larvae in central Japan

2013 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideharu Tsukada ◽  
Yoshio Nakamura ◽  
Tsugihiko Kamio ◽  
Hisashi Inokuma ◽  
Yasuko Hanafusa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sika Deer ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Haemaphysalis Longicornis ◽  
Central Japan ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Factors ◽  
Deer Density ◽  
Wild Host ◽  
Local Abundance ◽  
Vector Borne

AbstractHaemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) is one of the most common and important arthropod disease vectors in Japan, carrying Japanese spotted fever and bovine theileriosis. The recent expansion of sika deer (Cervus nippon, Artiodactyla: Cervidae) populations, the most common wild host of H. longicornis, has also caused concern about increasing the risk of vector-borne diseases in Japan. We used generalized linear mixed model analysis to determine the relative contribution of deer density and other biological and abiotic factors on the abundance of H. longicornis ticks questing at each developmental stage. A total of 6223 H. longicornis adults, nymphs, and larvae were collected from 70 sites in three regions of central Japan. The abundance of questing adult and nymphal ticks was associated with deer density and other biotic and abiotic factors. However, the abundance of questing larvae showed no association with deer density but did show an association with other biotic and abiotic factors. These findings show that a high density of deer along with other biotic and abiotic factors is associated with increased risk of vector-borne diseases through amplified local abundance of questing nymphal and adult H. longicornis. Further, questing larvae abundance is likely regulated by environmental conditions and is likely correlated with survival potential or the distribution of other host species.

The development and questing activity ofIxodes ricinus(L.) (Acari: Ixodidae) under field conditions in Ireland

1982 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Ixodes Ricinus ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Tick Activity ◽  
Development Rates ◽  
Questing Ticks ◽  
Questing Activity ◽  
Summer Temperatures ◽  
Irish Republic ◽  
Made In

AbstractDevelopment rates of engorged examples ofIxodes ricinus(L.) and the onset and duration of questing activity of unfed ticks were investigated in gauze cages in the field in the Irish Republic. Development rates of the various stages were broadly similar to those described in other studies but differed in small detail from most of them. It was found that larvae that fed during or after the first two weeks of August entered diapause. The activity periods of questing ticks were found to agree closely with observations made in the field, and the origins of the various peaks in tick activity in the field were thus elucidated. It was established that considerable interchange between autumn-feeding and spring-feeding populations of ticks can occur, and it is concluded that the extent of this is largely controlled by the weather, being accentuated by high summer temperatures.

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