Effect of deforestation and introduction of exotic grasses as livestock forage on the population dynamics of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) in northern Argentina

The effect of deforestation and the introduction of exotic grasses on the population dynamics of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus in northern Argentina was analysed. Biological parameters that were measured included proportion of females ovipositing, pre-oviposition period, incubation period of e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research in veterinary science 2013-12, Vol.95 (3), p.1046-1054
Main Authors: Nava, Santiago, Mastropaolo, Mariano, Guglielmone, Alberto A., Mangold, Atilio J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acari
Animals
Arachnids
Argentina
Argentina - epidemiology
Boophilus microplus
cattle
Cattle - parasitology
Cattle Diseases - epidemiology
Cattle Diseases - etiology
Cattle Diseases - parasitology
Conservation of Natural Resources - statistics & numerical data
Control
deforestation
Ecology
eggs
Environmental conditions
females
forage
forests
Grasses
grasslands
Habitat modification
hatching
Ixodidae
Larva
larvae
Life cycle
Livestock
longevity
microclimate
Oviposition
Ovum
Poaceae
Population Dynamics
Rhipicephalus
Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus
Rhipicephalus - physiology
Tick Infestations - parasitology
Tick Infestations - veterinary
ticks
Veterinary medicine
Weather
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Summary:The effect of deforestation and the introduction of exotic grasses on the population dynamics of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus in northern Argentina was analysed. Biological parameters that were measured included proportion of females ovipositing, pre-oviposition period, incubation period of eggs, proportion of egg clusters hatching, larval longevity and total non-parasitic period. No significant differences were observed in proportion of females ovipositing and in pre-oviposition period between forested and grassland areas. Regarding the other parameters, in the majority of the temporal series there were no significant differences. In the cases where differences with statistical significance were detected, they were not unidirectional. The replacement of native forest by grasses can potentially increase tick abundance not by the modification of microclimatic conditions, but by increasing the tick-host encounter rate due to a higher cattle density. The hypothesis that deforestation and introduction of exotic grasses affects the non-parasitic phase of R. microplus in northern Argentina was not supported.
ISSN:0034-5288
1532-2661
DOI:10.1016/j.rvsc.2013.09.013