Deer browsing and the distribution of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) in central New Jersey forests
Deer browsing and the distribution of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) in central New Jersey forests
复制标题
DOI：
10.1603/0046-225x-34.4.801
复制
发表时间：
2005-08-01
影响因子：
1.7
通讯作者：
Schulze, TL
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Jordan, RA;Schulze, TL
我们研究了白尾鹿(Odocoileus Virginianus Zimmerman)在森林栖息地觅食对黑腿硬蜱(Ixodes Osularis)数量的影响。我们估计了三年来所有活动阶段的丰度，并记录了两个频繁采食和两个对照林区的栖息地变量。不同年龄段和不同研究年限，不同研究区域的取食扁虱数量有显著差异，但生境结构和扁虱丰度在频繁采食和对照林间均无显著差异。生境变量的主成分分析解释了数据集中73.4%的方差，壁虱丰度与灌木层盖度和枯枝落叶层深度直接相关。然而，回归分析表明，扁虱数量与浏览损害之间没有关系。而鹿颗粒数密度与鹿的觅食损伤程度呈正相关，与觅食成虫的数量无相关性。觅食的鹿没有扰乱落叶，即使在公园里有近一半的灌木茎被吃掉，似乎也没有改变森林植被，影响到林下和灌木层的壁虱栖息地。在郊区的景观中，鹿在“边缘”和“内部”栖息地的活动，以及因此将扁虱引入“内部”栖息地的相对可能性很可能非常相似，这可能解释了在这里观察到的寻找扁虱的数量与到生态带边缘的距离之间缺乏可检测的关系。
We examined the effects of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) browsing on the abundance of the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis Say) in forested habitats. We estimated abundance of all active stages and recorded habitat variables at two heavily browsed and two control forest areas over 3 yr. Numbers of questing ticks varied significantly between years and between study areas in different years, but neither habitat structure nor tick abundance differed significantly between heavily browsed and control forests. Principal components analysis of habitat variables accounted for 73.4% of the variance in the data set, and tick abundance was directly related to shrub cover and leaflitter depth. However, regression analysis showed no relationship between tick numbers and browse damage. Whereas deer pellet count density was positively correlated with levels of deer browse damage, neither was related to numbers of bost-seeking adult ticks. Foraging deer did not disturb the leaf litter and, even at park areas with nearly one-half of shrub stems browsed back, did not seem to alter forest vegetation in a way to affect tick habitats in the understory and shrub layers. In suburban landscapes, deer activity in, and consequently the relative likelihood of introducing ticks into, "edge" and "interior" habitats is likely to be very similar and may account for the lack of a detectable relationship between numbers of questing ticks and distance to ecotonal edges observed here.