Monitoring Tick/Cattle Interractions via Global Positioning (GPS)

SUMMARY:
Cattle grazing patterns influence tick dispersal in a given rangeland. Ticks reside there, off-host in canopied brush mottes where environmental conditions are more favorable for their survival, waiting to attach to a cow that brushes by. The distribution of tick populations from one brush habitat to another depends on the probability that a host will brush by that vegetation and the rate of tick success in attaching to and feeding on the host.
At the LCRA (La Copita Research Area) rangeland, DGPS technology was used to monitor cattle foraging habits in conjunction with vegetation maps of the rangeland. This data was then tied to collected tick sampling data to correlate host, habitat, and tick interactions.

The full document with Method and figures explains exactly how satellites were used to track cows and how this data was used.

Tick Species Distribution in Texas

Maps of Texas depicting tick collections by county.

Learning about Ticks and Diseases Transmitted by Ticks

Images of Various Ticks

Electron microscope shots:
Tropical Bont Tick Amblyomma variegatum (male)
Tropical Bont Tick Amblyomma variegatum (female)
Tick Boophilus annulatus (male)
Tick Boophilus annulatus (female)
Tick Boophilus microplus (male)
Tick Boophilus microplus (female)
Tick Rhipicepholus sanguineus (male)
Tick Rhipicepholus sanguineus (female)

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