Relating Wildlife Camera Trap Data to Tick Abundance: Testing the Relationship in Different Habitats

The increase in acarological risk of tick bites is significantly driven by profound changes in landscape, which alter the density and distribution of wildlife that support tick populations. As a result of habitat shifts and land abandonment, which create environments conducive to tick proliferation,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals (Basel) 2024-09, Vol.14 (18), p.2749
Main Authors: Vada, Rachele, Zanet, Stefania, Occhibove, Flavia, Fantini, Enrica, Palencia, Pablo, Ferroglio, Ezio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Altitude
Analysis
Arachnids
Bites and stings
camera traps
Cameras
Climate change
Control
Deer
Disease transmission
Ecology
Ecosystem components
Habitats
Humidity
Precipitation
tick abundance
Tick-borne diseases
tick–host association
Wildlife management
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Summary:The increase in acarological risk of tick bites is significantly driven by profound changes in landscape, which alter the density and distribution of wildlife that support tick populations. As a result of habitat shifts and land abandonment, which create environments conducive to tick proliferation, the risk of disease transmission to humans and animals is increasing. In this context, it is important to explore tick ecology by applying a comprehensive methodology. In this study, we examined the relationship between wildlife temporal occupancy and tick abundance in two distinct regions: an alpine hunting district and a natural park in the Apennines. For each sampling point, we calculated wildlife temporal occupancy from camera trap pictures and estimated ticks' abundance from dragging transects in the area immediately surrounding camera traps. In modelling the relationship between those two variables, we included abiotic factors such as saturation deficit, normalized difference vegetation index, and altitude. Results show the importance of altitude and wildlife temporal occupancy (itself related to different habitat and land management characteristics) on the ecology of questing ticks. If employed in management decisions for natural environments, such information is useful to modulate the acarological risk and thus the risk of tick-borne pathogens' transmission.
ISSN:2076-2615
2076-2615
DOI:10.3390/ani14182749