Environmental drivers of gulf coast tick range expansion in the United States

In the United States, the Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum) is a species of growing medical and veterinary significance, serving as the primary vector of the pathogenic bacterium, Rickettsia parkeri, in humans and the apicomplexan parasite, Hepatozoon americanum, in canines. Ongoing reports of A. maculatum from areas outside its core distribution in the southeastern United States suggest the possibility of current and continuing range expansion. Using an ecological niche modeling approach, I combined new occurrence records with high-resolution climate and land cover data to investigate environmental drivers of the current distribution of A. maculatum in the United States. I found that environmental suitability for A. maculatum varied regionally and was primarily driven by climatic factors such as annual temperature variation and seasonality of precipitation. I also found that presence of A. maculatum was associated with open habitat with minimal canopy cover. My model predicts large areas beyond the current distribution of A. maculatum to be environmentally suitable, suggesting the possibility of future northward and westward range expansion. These predictions of environmental suitability may be used to identify areas at potential risk for establishment and to guide future surveillance of A. maculatum in the United States.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Entomology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Flenniken, J. Matthew

Contributors dc:contributor

• Allan, Brian F
• Stone, Chris M
• Tuten, Holly C
• Vineer, Hannah R

• Entomology

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2021 J. Flenniken

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113851

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F113851