The Tick-Moose-Climate patnership aims to understand and predict the dynamic of interactions between winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus) and moose (Alces alces) populations in eastern Canada under present and projected climatic conditions (for more information, see the Context page).
The knowledge we will gain will lead, among other things, to tools foreseeing epizootics (epidemics that affect animals) of winter ticks and to management recommendations to reduce their effects on moose.
Moose captures in 5 populations along a gradient of latitude and density from southern New-Brunswick to north of the St. Lawrence River (see map below). Deployment of GPS collar on each moose to track their movements and detect their eventual mortality.
Focus on calves known to be more vulnerable to the effects of the winter tick.
Monitoring of 3 cohorts of calves (2020, 2022 and 2023) between 8 and 13 month old.
Experimental manipulation of the tick load by applying acaricide products to one out of every two calves captured in order to compare the behaviour and survival of animals at different levels of tick infestation in the same environment (habitat, climate, ...).
Implementation of a participatory science protocol involving amateur observers and hunters to monitor tick infestations and help us assess their severity.
With this approach we will assess the impact of multiple factors (moose body condition and density, habitat structure and environmental conditions) on the intensity of winter tick infestation on moose. We will combine this information with climate scenarios to predict the frequency, intensity and distribution of tick infestations and their impacts on moose populations.