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Comparative population dynamics of a generalist (Ixodes ricinus) and specialist tick (I. hexagonus) species from European hedgehogs

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Abstract

Although the population dynamics of the tick Ixodes ricinus are relatively well studied, those of other Western European tick species are largely unknown. Moreover, there is very little information related to the interactions between I. ricinus and other ticks. Such knowledge, however, is of special interest in respect to the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens such as Borrelia spp. We compared the dynamics of the generalist I. ricinus with the nest-dwelling hedgehog specialist, I. hexagonus. Both species were collected from hedgehogs from a naturally infested experimental population between 2006 and 2008. Ticks were collected once a month from March to October from each hedgehog counted and the life history stage and species determined. All hedgehogs harboured both tick species. Nymphs, females and males of I. ricinus showed clear bimodal seasonal distributions with peaks in spring and autumn, while larvae peaked only in summer. The density of I. hexagonus life stages was low during the whole investigation period and seasonal fluctuations of population density were much weaker compared to I. ricinus. Nymphs and larvae showed comparatively little change in population size and no consistent period of peak density. Females showed a single peak in summer and males were found only occasionally on hedgehogs. We suggest density-dependent mechanisms regulating the population density of the specialist I. hexagonus but not of the generalist I. ricinus.

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Acknowledgments

The study was funded by grants from the LBBW-Bank Baden Württemberg, the Krieger Foundation and the Landesgraduiertenförderung Baden-Württemberg. The authors would like to thank Mrs. Elisabeth Swoboda and Mrs. Sigrun Goroncy for providing us with the hedgehogs from our experimental hedgehog population and Heiko Fischer and Miriam Maurer for collecting and determining the ticks in 2006 and 2007. Special thanks to Prof. Stephen Wikel for giving advices concerning acquired resistance and differences in the sialome of tick species.

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  1. Department of Ecology and Parasitology, KIT, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Zoological Institute, Kornblumenstrasse 13, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany

    M. Pfäffle, T. Petney, J. Skuballa & H. Taraschewski

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  1. M. Pfäffle
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  2. T. Petney
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Pfäffle, M., Petney, T., Skuballa, J. et al. Comparative population dynamics of a generalist (Ixodes ricinus) and specialist tick (I. hexagonus) species from European hedgehogs. Exp Appl Acarol 54, 151–164 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-011-9432-x

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