Use of Old-Field Habitats by the American Dog Tick, Dermacentor variabilis12

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Abstract
The distribution of subadults and adults of Dermacentor variabilis (Say) in an old-field habitat on a farm near Montpelier, Virginia, was studied. The distribution of the common old-field rodent hosts of this species, Microtus pensylvanicus (Ord) and Reithrodontomys humulis (Audubon & Bachman) also was studied. The rodent hosts were found to be most abundant near the center of their habitat area, and commonest in grass-dominant localities. However, subadult ticks were taken most frequently on hosts trapped at or near the old-field: forest edge. The low woody-deciduous forest had a consistently higher atmospheric moisture content than the old-field habitat during daylight. The possible influence of this difference in atmospheric moisture content between habitat types on tick survival and distribution is discussed. It was concluded that the old-field habitat is a highly unsatisfactory environment for subadult ticks of this species, with the exception of the zone near the deciduous forest edge. Adult ticks were also most numerous near the forest border. However, in contrast to the subadults, adults were abundant also in areas far from the forest edge, perhaps as a result of dispersal.

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