Forest management reduces Ixodes scapularis densities via multiple mechanistic pathways

Lyme disease poses an immediate threat to public health, with tens of thousands of cases reported annually in the U.S. The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) is the principal vector for the bacterium that causes this disease (Borrelia burgdorferi). Many wildlife species are important hosts for I. scapularis (e.g., white-tailed deer), natural reservoirs for B. burgdorferi (e.g., white-footed mice), or both. During the vast majority of the life cycle during which the tick is not feeding on a vertebrate host, it lives in the microhabitat of leaf litter. While the Lyme disease transmission cycle is deeply embedded in the forest ecosystem, limited research has investigated the effects of stand structure via active forest management on vector abundance and pathogen transmission. Forest management alters species composition and density of trees and understory plants, potentially causing an ecological cascade in which changes in microhabitat and wildlife communities alter tick density, pathogen infection prevalence, and Lyme disease exposure risk to humans. This study tests the specific hypotheses that different stand structures will affect 1) tick density, 2) understory and microhabitat features, and 3) daily deer activity. To test these hypotheses we collected ticks, deployed trail cameras to quantify large mammal activity, and characterized understory and microhabitat (e.g., leaf litter cover and depth, temperature, and humidity). Our preliminary findings show that nymphal tick density is related to the average basal area and number of trees per acre manipulated in forest management, suggesting pathways to incorporate Lyme disease considerations into forestry.