LTREB: Acorn pulses and the dynamics of rodents, ticks, and Lyme-disease risk in oak forests

LTREB：橡子豆类以及橡树林中啮齿动物、蜱虫和莱姆病风险的动态

• 批准号: 0949702
• 负责人: Richard Ostfeld
• 金额: $ 45万
• 依托单位: Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-05-01 至 2015-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0949702&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: LTREB; Acorn; pulses; dynamics; rodents

Long-term data on the abundance of arthropod vectors that transmit important human diseases are necessary to predict risk. Risk of human exposure to Lyme disease is related to the abundance of blacklegged ticks (the vector) that are infected with Borrelia burgdorferi (the pathogen). The objective of this research is to understand the causes of dramatic variation in risk at representative sites in the northeastern U.S.A. Prior research suggests that Lyme disease risk is correlated with prior abundance of white-footed mice (a critical host for ticks and pathogens), and that mouse abundance is correlated with prior abundance of acorns (a crucial food for mice). Tick and mouse populations, and acorn production, are potentially influenced by changing climatic conditions. The proposed research will establish which climatic variables influence tick survival, mouse abundance, and acorn production. It will clarify the nature of the relationships between acorns and mice, and between mice and ticks. The results will facilitate the integration of climate change with forest health to predict risk. Results of this long-term project are used for K-12 classroom teaching (including a PBS NOVA unit), undergraduate education (independent research projects and material for textbooks in ecology, conservation biology, and mammalogy), and public education (local and regional presentations about Lyme disease risk factors, media coverage in newspapers and magazines). The proposed research has strong practical implications because it allows prediction of times and places of high disease risk.

关于传播重要人类疾病的节肢动物媒介丰度的长期数据对于预测风险是必要的。 人类接触莱姆病的风险与感染伯氏疏螺旋体（病原体）的黑腿蜱（媒介）的数量有关。 本研究的目的是了解美国东北部代表性地点风险发生巨大变化的原因。之前的研究表明，莱姆病风险与白足鼠（蜱虫和病原体的关键宿主）先前的丰度相关，并且小鼠的丰度与之前橡子（小鼠的重要食物）的丰度相关。 蜱虫和老鼠的数量以及橡子的生产可能会受到气候条件变化的影响。 拟议的研究将确定哪些气候变量会影响蜱虫的生存、小鼠的丰度和橡子的产量。 它将阐明橡子和老鼠之间以及老鼠和蜱虫之间关系的本质。 研究结果将有助于将气候变化与森林健康相结合以预测风险。 该长期项目的成果用于 K-12 课堂教学（包括 PBS NOVA 单元）、本科教育（独立研究项目和生态学、保护生物学和哺乳动物学教科书材料）以及公共教育（地方和区域）有关莱姆病风险因素的介绍、报纸和杂志的媒体报道）。拟议的研究具有很强的实际意义，因为它可以预测高疾病风险的时间和地点。