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The Effects Of Soil Ph And Texture On The Molting Success And Survival Of Blacklegged Ticks (Ixodes Scapularis): A Field Experiment, Colleen Cook
Honors Theses
The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) is the primary vector of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. When a tick is not questing or feeding, the majority of its life is spent within the soil. Abiotic factors within soil have been shown to affect tick molting and survival across all life stages. Soil pH, however, has not been heavily investigated. In this field study, I investigated the effects of soil pH and texture on engorged nymphal ticks. Two sites were chosen to encompass the extremes of soil pH in the region; the Albany Pine Bush in Albany, NY has …
The Effects Of Soil Ph On The Molting Success Of Blacklegged Ticks (Ixodes Scapularis): A Laboratory Experiment, Daniel Rice
The Effects Of Soil Ph On The Molting Success Of Blacklegged Ticks (Ixodes Scapularis): A Laboratory Experiment, Daniel Rice
Honors Theses
Ixodes scapularis, or the black-legged tick, is the major vector of Lyme disease in the U.S. I. scapularis has expanded its range in recent decades, making the study of factors affecting its distribution a high priority. Studying the effects of various conditions in the soil could help in predicting range expansions, because ticks spend the majority of their lives in contact with the soil. We investigated the effects of soil pH on the molting success of engorged I. scapularis nymphs collected from Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias striatus). The experiment was conducted in a laboratory to control for covariates such as temperature …