Poh Karen C, Brown Jessica E, Esoldo Mia I, Machtinger Erika T
Pennsylvania State University.
Res Sq. 2025 Sep 10:rs.3.rs-7312978. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7312978/v1.
is considered a significant medical and veterinary arthropod pest, capable of transmitting several pathogens that cause disease in humans and animals. Previous work has identified two distinct populations of in the United States (northern and southern), characterized by differences in their genetics and behavior. This study aimed to characterize and compare the lateral movement and feeding behaviors of nymphal between the northern and southern populations in the United States. Using laboratory-reared ticks from BEI (northern), Oklahoma State University (southern), and field-collected ticks from central Pennsylvania (Mid-Atlantic), behavioral bioassays were conducted to quantify distances traveled and velocities in a one-hour time frame. Ticks from the northern lineage walked longer distances and at faster speeds compared to ticks from the southern lineage. Field-collected ticks from central Pennsylvania, located between what is considered the northern and southern populations, exhibited similar movement behaviors as ticks from the southern population, even though ticks from the Mid-Atlantic are geographically categorized as the northern population. To compare feeding behaviors, colony-reared white-footed mice () were artificially infested with northern and southern ticks, and the percentages of infestation and feeding successes were compared. Northern ticks had higher success in infestations and feeding to repletion compared to southern ticks. These behavioral differences in movement and feeding patterns provide additional evidence for the hypothesis that geographically distinct populations of exist across the United States. Researchers should consider these population differences when selecting tick lineages for behavioral studies and other blacklegged tick research.
被认为是一种重要的医学和兽医节肢动物害虫，能够传播几种在人类和动物中引起疾病的病原体。先前的研究已经在美国确定了两个不同的种群（北部和南部），其特征在于它们的遗传学和行为存在差异。本研究旨在表征和比较美国北部和南部种群若虫的横向移动和取食行为。使用来自BEI（北部）、俄克拉荷马州立大学（南部）实验室饲养的蜱虫，以及从宾夕法尼亚州中部（中大西洋地区）野外采集的蜱虫，进行行为生物测定以量化在一小时时间范围内行进的距离和速度。与来自南部种群的蜱虫相比，来自北部种群的蜱虫行走的距离更长，速度更快。来自宾夕法尼亚州中部的野外采集的蜱虫，位于被认为是北部和南部种群之间的位置，表现出与来自南部种群的蜱虫相似的移动行为，尽管来自中大西洋地区的蜱虫在地理上被归类为北部种群。为了比较取食行为，用北部和南部的蜱虫人工感染圈养的白足鼠，比较感染率和取食成功率。与南部蜱虫相比，北部蜱虫在感染和饱血取食方面的成功率更高。这些移动和取食模式的行为差异为美国各地存在地理上不同的蜱虫种群这一假设提供了额外的证据。研究人员在选择蜱虫种群进行行为研究和其他黑腿蜱研究时应考虑这些种群差异。
