Behavioral Repertoire on a Vertical Rod—An Ethogram in <i>Dermacentor reticulatus</i> Ticks
Ticks are important vectors of pathogens that endanger humans and animals. Study of their behavior under laboratory conditions is important for both predicting their behavior in natural conditions and understanding their involvement in transmission cycles of pathogens, which may lead to effective pr...
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/12/2086 |
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| author | Blažena Vargová Natália Pipová Miroslav Baňas Igor Majláth Piotr Tryjanowski Łukasz Jankowiak Viktória Majláthová |
| author_facet | Blažena Vargová Natália Pipová Miroslav Baňas Igor Majláth Piotr Tryjanowski Łukasz Jankowiak Viktória Majláthová |
| author_sort | Blažena Vargová |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ticks are important vectors of pathogens that endanger humans and animals. Study of their behavior under laboratory conditions is important for both predicting their behavior in natural conditions and understanding their involvement in transmission cycles of pathogens, which may lead to effective prevention of tick-borne disease transmission or establishment of effective preventive measures. The aim of our study was to describe the behavior of <i>D. reticulatus</i> ticks using laboratory assay. We focused on the description of individual behavioral units during their vertical movement. The assay consisted of glass beakers filled with sand and an embedded glass rod. We observed 10 different behavioral units, 4 of which have not yet been described: body posturing called “jogger”, leg grooming, and body or leg jerking. The most frequent tick behavior observed was an upwards positioning of the two front legs while the body remained motionless (88.9%). Other common observations were both horizontal (63%) and vertical (58.0%) body posturing with all legs lowered, followed by questing behavior (51.9%). Ticks spent the most time questing (75.2%), crawling (54.7%), and grooming legs on the right side (23%). We did not observe any differences between males and females. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:11:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bfd77dd4422c4a97abeaf34dae6857ab |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:11:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-bfd77dd4422c4a97abeaf34dae6857ab2023-11-24T16:13:18ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292022-12-011212208610.3390/life12122086Behavioral Repertoire on a Vertical Rod—An Ethogram in <i>Dermacentor reticulatus</i> TicksBlažena Vargová0Natália Pipová1Miroslav Baňas2Igor Majláth3Piotr Tryjanowski4Łukasz Jankowiak5Viktória Majláthová6Center for Applied Research, University Veterinary Hospital, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 04001 Košice, SlovakiaInstitute of Biology and Ecology, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Kosice, Šrobárova 2, 04180 Kosice, SlovakiaInstitute of Biology and Ecology, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Kosice, Šrobárova 2, 04180 Kosice, SlovakiaInstitute of Biology and Ecology, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Kosice, Šrobárova 2, 04180 Kosice, SlovakiaDepartment of Zoology, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625 Poznan, PolandDepartment of Vertebrate Anatomy and Zoology, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, 71–412 Szczecin, PolandInstitute of Biology and Ecology, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Kosice, Šrobárova 2, 04180 Kosice, SlovakiaTicks are important vectors of pathogens that endanger humans and animals. Study of their behavior under laboratory conditions is important for both predicting their behavior in natural conditions and understanding their involvement in transmission cycles of pathogens, which may lead to effective prevention of tick-borne disease transmission or establishment of effective preventive measures. The aim of our study was to describe the behavior of <i>D. reticulatus</i> ticks using laboratory assay. We focused on the description of individual behavioral units during their vertical movement. The assay consisted of glass beakers filled with sand and an embedded glass rod. We observed 10 different behavioral units, 4 of which have not yet been described: body posturing called “jogger”, leg grooming, and body or leg jerking. The most frequent tick behavior observed was an upwards positioning of the two front legs while the body remained motionless (88.9%). Other common observations were both horizontal (63%) and vertical (58.0%) body posturing with all legs lowered, followed by questing behavior (51.9%). Ticks spent the most time questing (75.2%), crawling (54.7%), and grooming legs on the right side (23%). We did not observe any differences between males and females.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/12/2086<i>Dermacentor reticulatus</i>tickethogrambehaviorvertical movements |
| spellingShingle | Blažena Vargová Natália Pipová Miroslav Baňas Igor Majláth Piotr Tryjanowski Łukasz Jankowiak Viktória Majláthová Behavioral Repertoire on a Vertical Rod—An Ethogram in <i>Dermacentor reticulatus</i> Ticks Life <i>Dermacentor reticulatus</i> tick ethogram behavior vertical movements |
| title | Behavioral Repertoire on a Vertical Rod—An Ethogram in <i>Dermacentor reticulatus</i> Ticks |
| title_full | Behavioral Repertoire on a Vertical Rod—An Ethogram in <i>Dermacentor reticulatus</i> Ticks |
| title_fullStr | Behavioral Repertoire on a Vertical Rod—An Ethogram in <i>Dermacentor reticulatus</i> Ticks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Behavioral Repertoire on a Vertical Rod—An Ethogram in <i>Dermacentor reticulatus</i> Ticks |
| title_short | Behavioral Repertoire on a Vertical Rod—An Ethogram in <i>Dermacentor reticulatus</i> Ticks |
| title_sort | behavioral repertoire on a vertical rod an ethogram in i dermacentor reticulatus i ticks |
| topic | <i>Dermacentor reticulatus</i> tick ethogram behavior vertical movements |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/12/2086 |
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