Campus Units
Natural Resource Ecology and Management
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
2017
Journal or Book Title
Journal of Wildlife Diseases
Volume
53
Issue
1
First Page
131
Last Page
135
DOI
10.7589/2016-02-028
Abstract
Few studies have evaluated how wetland and forest characteristics influence the prevalence of meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) infection of deer throughout the grassland biome of central North America. We used previously collected, county-level prevalence data to evaluate associations between habitat characteristics and probability of meningeal worm infection in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) across eastern South Dakota, US. The highest-ranked binomial regression model for detecting probability of meningeal worm infection was spring temperature + summer precipitation + percent wetland; weight of evidence (wi=0.71) favored this model over alternative models, though predictive capability was low (Receiver operating characteristic=0.62). Probability of meningeal worm infection increased by 1.3- and 1.6-fold for each 1-cm and 1-C increase in summer precipitation and spring temperature, respectively. Similarly, probability of infection increased 1.2-fold for each 1% increase in wetland habitat. Our findings highlight the importance of wetland habitat in predicting meningeal worm infection across eastern South Dakota. Future research is warranted to evaluate the relationships between climatic conditions (e.g., drought, wet cycles) and deer habitat selection in maintaining P. tenuis along the western boundary of the parasite.
Rights
Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Jacques, Christopher N.; Jenks, Jonathan A.; Klaver, Robert W.; and Dubay, Shelli A., "Associations among Habitat Characteristics and Meningeal Worm Prevalence in Eastern South Dakota, USA" (2017). Natural Resource Ecology and Management Publications. 219.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/nrem_pubs/219
Included in
Climate Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Parasitic Diseases Commons, Statistical Models Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Comments
This article is published as Jacques, Christopher N., Jonathan A. Jenks, Robert W. Klaver, and Shelli A. Dubay. "Associations among Habitat Characteristics and Meningeal Worm Prevalence in Eastern South Dakota, USA." Journal of wildlife diseases 53, no. 1 (2017): 131-135, doi: 10.7589/2016-02-028.