Mark‐release‐recapture of ticks: A case study of estimating the abundance of Ixodes persulcatus (Acari, Ixodidae)

• Published in: Medical and Veterinary Entomology
• Main Authors: Bugmyrin, Sergey V., Gorbach, Vyacheslav V.
• Other Authors: Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2022
• Subjects: Petersen; taiga
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mve.12565; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/mve.12565; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/mve.12565

Abstract In this study, we tested the applicability of three common methods of absolute abundance estimation—Peterson, Bailey and Jolly‐Seber—to Ixodes persulcatus ticks based on mark‐release‐recapture data. The ticks were collected by flagging during the seasonal activity peak of the ticks in the mid‐taiga zone of Karelia (62.0697°N, 33.9614°E). In total, 108 females and 92 males of I. persulcatus were marked. The marked individuals were captured 161 times before the end of the study period with their proportion in the samples reaching 50%. Females were recaptured more often than males, 105 versus 56 times. Estimates of adult tick abundance ranged from 0.4 to 2 specimens per m 2 depending on the calculation method. The obtained estimates of absolute abundance varied unpredictably depending on the length of the intervals between capture sessions and showed no significant correlations with the number of ticks collected by flagging. The choice of the method of tick abundance estimation mainly depends on the study aims. The Petersen method may be useful for quick estimates of local tick abundance, whereas the Jolly‐Seber method allows an estimation of the absolute abundance during the entire period of the tick activity. Individual marking of ticks may improve the accuracy of the estimates.