Climate-driven variation in the phenology of juvenile Ixodes pacificus on lizard hosts.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Ectothermic arthropods, like ticks, are sensitive indicators of environmental changes, and their seasonality plays a critical role in the dynamics of tick-borne disease in a warming world. Juvenile tick phenology, which influences pathogen transmission, may vary across climates, with longer tick seasons in cooler climates potentially amplifying transmission. However, assessing juvenile tick phenology is challenging in arid climates because ticks spend less time seeking for blood meals (i.e. questing) due to desiccation pressures. As a result, traditional collection methods like dragging or flagging are less effective. To improve our understanding of juvenile tick seasonality across a latitudinal gradient, we examined Ixodes pacificus phenology on lizards, the primary juv

SUBMITTER: Sambado S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12001419 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature