Temporal pattern of questing tick Ixodes ricinus density at differing elevations in the coastal region of western Norway

Table 1 Model selection for the descriptive pattern of seasonal trend in questing tick density in 2011 and 2012

Time	Elevation	Elevation*Time	AIC 2011	AIC 2012
df = 1			3728	2834
df = 2			3723	2813
df = 3			3715	2814
df = 4			3718	2816
df = 5			3715	2817
df = 5	X		3687	2809
df = 4	X		3693	2808
df = 3	X		3690	2806
df = 5	X	X	3614	2799
df = 4	X	X	3640	2798
df = 3	X	X	NC	2796

All the models use the total tick abundance from each 20-m² flagging as the response. Time as a natural cubic spline term, and elevation as a two level factor variable where high or low are predictors. df = degrees of freedom in the spline function; * = interaction term; NC = model did not converge. The chosen descriptive model is in bold, for 2012 it was chosen over the best model as visual inspection indicated a better fit.

ISSN: 1756-3305