Evaluation of tick-host-landscape interactions using spatial analysis
Abstract
Cattle-landscape interactions were evaluated by monitoring movement of cattle on a rangeland landscape using a differential global positioning system (DGPS). Cattle were inspected for ticks before and after each 48 hour DGPS monitoring session in each of two 80 ha study pastures. All ticks were removed during each inspection and host cow, pasture, tick life-stage, gender, and species were recorded. Cattle monitoring sessions took place during May and July, 1996. The resident population of ticks in each of three habitat-types (upland coalesced, upland mature, and drainage) was estimated by C02 trapping and was conducted on both pastures, after the monitoring sessions. The number of nymphal ticks collected was higher for both cattle and the C02 traps in May, whereas numbers of adults and larvae were more numerous in July. The study was conducted during a period of severe drought. Only 4.82 mm of rain was received from January-July 1996, while the average from 1990-1995 for this period was 44.78 mm. Despite the severe weather conditions, ticks were still able to reproduce successfully in the brush habitats. This was evident by the large numbers of larvae estimated in July from C02 trap data. The proportion of dietary browse for the study cattle was, 18.38-21.95% in May and 23.30-27.1 1% in July, which was more than 3 to 4 times the normal proportion under normal range conditions. This suggests that the cattle were spending greater amounts of time foraging in the brush, thus increasing the potential for tick-host encounters in vegetation habitat-types supportive of tick populations.
Description
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Includes bibliographical references.
Issued also on microfiche from Lange Micrographics.
Includes bibliographical references.
Issued also on microfiche from Lange Micrographics.
Keywords
entomology., Major entomology.