| dc.description.abstract | Most studies on tickborne diseases in the U.S. have been concentrated in suburban and rural areas. This has led to a lack of understanding about the risks of such diseases in urban settings, where environmental conditions vary, and human-tick interactions differ significantly. Several previous studies, including a recent study in Oklahoma City in 2017-2018, have investigated how microhabitat conditions within sampling locations can impact tick abundance. However, microhabitat conditions only capture a limited spatiotemporal range, typically confined to the immediate sampling site and period. Monitoring macro-environmental conditions via Earth observations could enhance our understanding of tick ecology on a larger scale. Here, we hypothesize that integrated monitoring of micro- and macro-habitat conditions can better capture tick abundance in urban parks. Specifically, we hypothesize that tick abundance in urban parks is positively influenced by microclimate factors like higher humidity levels or deeper leaf litter, and by macro-environmental conditions such as habitat type and spatial arrangement. We collected ticks from 13 parks in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan area using CO2 traps and flagging techniques. At sampling transects, we gathered micro-environmental data, including temperature, humidity, wind speed, and vegetation types, and assessed macro-environmental conditions such as land cover, incorporating landscape metrics. Our analysis identified key factors influencing tick abundance in urban parks, revealing that solar radiation negatively affects tick abundance, while soil pH, woody vegetation, and forest cover have positive effects. For adult ticks, leaf litter depth and solar radiation are negative predictors, while woody vegetation and forest percentage positively influence their abundance. Nymph tick abundance increases with lower solar radiation and relative humidity and is positively correlated with soil pH. Overall, both micro-environmental variables and landscape metrics are crucial in predicting tick abundance across different life stages. The results underscore the complex interplay between environmental factors and tick distribution, with implications for public health strategies in urban planning and park management. | en_US |
