23rd Annual Student Research Conference
Yearly Hotspot Variation in Amblyomma americanum
Jennifer W. Chen* and Betsey C. York
Dr. Stephanie Fore, Faculty Mentor
Amblyomma americanum (lone star tick) is a common tick found in northeast Missouri. Although this species is a parasite of many animals, it spends a significant portion of its life off host. The purpose of this study was to determine if locations with high tick abundance are the same over a three year period. Ticks were collected bi-monthly from field and forest habits between February and December for three years in 16 permanent 0.84 ha sampling sites (8 bait sites and 8 drag sites). Ticks were identified to life stage (larvae, nymph or adult). Abundance at each site was plotted on site maps by life stage to determine locations with high abundance in each sampling year. Preliminary data (2007) indicates that some sampling sites have higher abundance but further analysis will determine if those trends are preserved from year to year.
Keywords: lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, parasite, hotspot variation, tick abundance
Topic(s):Biology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 8-2
Location: MG 2001
Time: 8:15