Effect of landscape features on the relationship between Ixodes ricinus ticks and their small mammal hosts

Parasites & Vectors

Table 1 Landscape variables considered in the study

Landscape features	Description (unit)	Expected effect on rodent abundance	Expected effect on ticks^a
EcoL	Wooded habitats/hedgerow-grassland ecotone length (m)	Positive (shelter, food availability, enhanced dispersion through woodland connectivity)	Positive (humidity and temperature, frequented by roe deer, cattle and other hosts)
Wood	Proportion of wooded areas in the buffer (%)	Positive (shelter, food availability)	Positive (humidity and temperature, high density of roe deer and other hosts)
ENN-Wood	Area-weighted^b mean distance between nearest edges of wooded patches (m)	Species-dependent: positive (reduced predation/competition) or negative (reduced connectivity: impeded dispersion)	Positive (concentration of roe deer and other hosts in permanent habitats) or negative (lower overall roe deer density)

The landscape variables were extracted in a buffer of 250 metres around the trap-lines. For each landscape variable, we give a definition, the units, and we indicate the expected effects on the abundances of small mammals and I. ricinus ticks
^a Effect considered independently of small mammal abundances
^b In the calculation of the ENN-Wood the values computed for large wooded patches have a greater weight, proportional to their area

ISSN: 1756-3305