Miranda H. J. Huang, S. Demarais, B. Strickland, W. Brookshire, J. G. Chandler, R. A. Butler, R. T. Trout Fryxell
{"title":"Supplemental feeding of deer reduces tick abundance in Mississippi, U.S.A.","authors":"Miranda H. J. Huang, S. Demarais, B. Strickland, W. Brookshire, J. G. Chandler, R. A. Butler, R. T. Trout Fryxell","doi":"10.52707/1081-1710-47.1.29","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT: Prior research on baiting and feeding of wildlife found changes in habitat and the concentration of wildlife on a local scale (e.g., hundreds of meters). Since changes in habitat and host density affect ticks, feeding wildlife may lead to changes in tick and tick-borne disease ecology. We quantified the effect of feeding deer on ticks and tick-borne diseases at 79 pairs of sites with and without deer feeders during May-August of 2019 and 2020. We captured 0.4 fewer adult (p<0.05) and 1.2 fewer nymphal ticks (p=0.01) at feeder sites. This effect intensified over time with one fewer tick trapped at old feeders (≥5 years) compared to new feeders (<5 years, p<0.05). Greater daily wildlife visitation rates (p<0.001) may have allowed questing ticks to encounter hosts more readily. Most collected ticks were Amblyomma americanum (92.8%), a vector of Ehrlichia and Rickettsia pathogens, though prevalence of these pathogens did not differ (p>0.13) at a local scale. Supplemental deer feeding appears to influence ticks, possibly due to decreased tick habitat and increased wildlife use around feeders. Our findings indicate feeding does not lead to increased prevalence of Ehrlichia or Rickettsia bacteria within A. americanum locally.","PeriodicalId":49961,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vector Ecology","volume":"47 1","pages":"29 - 37"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4000,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Vector Ecology","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.52707/1081-1710-47.1.29","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENTOMOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
ABSTRACT: Prior research on baiting and feeding of wildlife found changes in habitat and the concentration of wildlife on a local scale (e.g., hundreds of meters). Since changes in habitat and host density affect ticks, feeding wildlife may lead to changes in tick and tick-borne disease ecology. We quantified the effect of feeding deer on ticks and tick-borne diseases at 79 pairs of sites with and without deer feeders during May-August of 2019 and 2020. We captured 0.4 fewer adult (p<0.05) and 1.2 fewer nymphal ticks (p=0.01) at feeder sites. This effect intensified over time with one fewer tick trapped at old feeders (≥5 years) compared to new feeders (<5 years, p<0.05). Greater daily wildlife visitation rates (p<0.001) may have allowed questing ticks to encounter hosts more readily. Most collected ticks were Amblyomma americanum (92.8%), a vector of Ehrlichia and Rickettsia pathogens, though prevalence of these pathogens did not differ (p>0.13) at a local scale. Supplemental deer feeding appears to influence ticks, possibly due to decreased tick habitat and increased wildlife use around feeders. Our findings indicate feeding does not lead to increased prevalence of Ehrlichia or Rickettsia bacteria within A. americanum locally.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Vector Ecology is an international journal published by the Society for Vector Ecology. It is concerned with all aspects of the biology, ecology, and control of arthropod and vertebrate vectors and the interrelationships between the vectors and the agents of disease that they transmit. The journal publishes original research articles and scientific notes, as well as comprehensive reviews of vector biology based on presentations at Society meetings. All papers are reviewed by at least two qualified scientists who recommend their suitability for publication. Acceptance of manuscripts is based on their scientific merit and is the final decision of the editor, but these decisions may be appealed to the editorial board. The journal began publishing in 1974 and now publishes on-line only.