Population genetic structure of the tree-hole tick Ixodes arboricola (Acari: Ixodidae) at different spatial scales.

ABSTRACT: The endophilic tick Ixodes arboricola infests cavity-nesting birds, and its dispersal strongly depends on the movements of its host. Population genetic structure of I. arboricola was studied with seven polymorphic microsatellite markers. We collected 268 ticks from 76 nest boxes in four woodlots near Antwerp, Belgium. These nest boxes are mainly used by the principal hosts of I. arboricola, the great tit Parus major and the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus. As these birds typically return to the same cavity for roosting or breeding, ticks within nest boxes were expected to be highly related, and tick populations were expected to be spatially structured among woodlots and among nest boxes within woodlots. In line with the expectations, genetic population structure was found among woodlots and a

SUBMITTER: Van Oosten AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4220716 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature