A community approach to the Neotropical ticks-hosts interactions

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Parasitology
• Network Analysis

Background:

• Tick-host interactions are crucial for understanding parasite evolution.
• The Neotropical region hosts diverse tick species and hosts, with limited research on their ecological relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze tick-host relationships in the Neotropics using a network-based approach.
• To identify ecological factors driving tick-host associations and their evolutionary implications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a dataset of 4,764 tick-host records for genera Amblyomma, Ixodes, and Haemaphysalis.
• Constructed a network to visualize and analyze tick-host interactions and identify clusters.
• Assessed network robustness and phylogenetic clustering of ticks with their hosts.

Main Results:

• Identified 9 host-tick interaction clusters connected by 22 tick species with stage-dependent host switching.
• Network robustness was minimally affected by inter-cluster links.
• While not significant at the cluster level, 59% of individual tick species/stages showed phylogenetic clustering with hosts.

Conclusions:

• Tick-host associations may be influenced by host traits that optimize tick survival within specific environmental niches.
• Integrated analyses are essential for understanding tick-borne pathogen circulation in the Neotropics.