Fig. 4From: Beech tree masting explains the inter-annual variation in the fall and spring peaks of Ixodes ricinus ticks with different time lagsSeasonal changes in the DON over the calendar year at the four elevation sites. The DON is an estimate of the number of questing I. ricinus nymphs per 100 m2 sampled by the dragging method each month. For each month, the data are averaged over the 15 years of the study (2004–2018). A bimodal phenology with a large peak of the DON in the spring and a smaller peak of the DON in the fall was observed at the low, medium, and high elevation sites, but not at the top elevation site, where the unimodal phenology was characterized by a single peak in the springBack to article page