Environmental drivers of Ixodes ricinus abundance in forest fragments of rural European landscapes

BMC Ecology

Stefanie Gärtner¹  Marc Deconchat²  Annette Kolb³  Martin Diekmann³  Kris Verheyen⁴  Pieter De Frenne⁴  Pallieter De Smedt⁴  Michael Scherer-Lorenzen⁵  Steffen Ehrmann⁵  Taavi Paal⁶  Jaan Liira⁶  Tobias Naaf⁷  Monika Wulf⁷  Jessica Lindgren⁸  Sara A. O. Cousins⁸  Karin Hansen⁹  Jörg Brunet^1,10  Emilie Gallet-Moron^1,11  Alicia Valdés^1,11  Jonathan Lenoir^1,11  Guillaume Decocq^1,11 

[1] Black Forest National Park;DYNAFOR, Université de Toulouse, INRA, INPT;Faculty of Biology/Chemistry (FB 02), Institute of Ecology, Vegetation Ecology and Conservation Biology, University of Bremen;Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University;Geobotany, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg;Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu;Institute of Land Use Systems, Leibniz-ZALF (e.V.);Landscape Ecology, Department of Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University;Natural Resources & Environmental Effects, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute;Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences;UR “Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés” (EDYSAN, FRE 3498 CNRS-UPJV), Jules Verne University of Picardie;

关键词: Climate gradient;    Ecological niche;    Ecosystem disservice;    Functional ecology;    Habitat composition;    Landscape composition;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12898-017-0141-0

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background The castor bean tick (Ixodes ricinus) transmits infectious diseases such as Lyme borreliosis, which constitutes an important ecosystem disservice. Despite many local studies, a comprehensive understanding of the key drivers of tick abundance at the continental scale is still lacking. We analyze a large set of environmental factors as potential drivers of I. ricinus abundance. Our multi-scale study was carried out in deciduous forest fragments dispersed within two contrasting rural landscapes of eight regions, along a macroclimatic gradient stretching from southern France to central Sweden and Estonia. We surveyed the abundance of I. ricinus, plant community composition, forest structure and soil properties and compiled data on landscape structure, macroclimate and habitat properties. We used linear mixed models to analyze patterns and derived the relative importance of the significant drivers. Results Many drivers had, on their own, either a moderate or small explanatory value for the abundance of I. ricinus, but combined they explained a substantial part of variation. This emphasizes the complex ecology of I. ricinus and the relevance of environmental factors for tick abundance. Macroclimate only explained a small fraction of variation, while properties of macro- and microhabitat, which buffer macroclimate, had a considerable impact on tick abundance. The amount of forest and the composition of the surrounding rural landscape were additionally important drivers of tick abundance. Functional (dispersules) and structural (density of tree and shrub layers) properties of the habitat patch played an important role. Various diversity metrics had only a small relative importance. Ontogenetic tick stages showed pronounced differences in their response. The abundance of nymphs and adults is explained by the preceding stage with a positive relationship, indicating a cumulative effect of drivers. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the ecosystem disservices of tick-borne diseases, via the abundance of ticks, strongly depends on habitat properties and thus on how humans manage ecosystems from the scale of the microhabitat to the landscape. This study stresses the need to further evaluate the interaction between climate change and ecosystem management on I. ricinus abundance.

【 授权许可】

Unknown