Lead
The study found that as global temperatures continue to rise, so does the number of ticks that are parasitic in dogs, which are supposed to transmit a range of diseases.
But this time, the tick population has skyrocketed, mainly because of the rising temperature.
One of the ticks that adapt to a variety of animals is found only in gorillas, and while rising global temperatures are a good thing for gorillas, it can also change all of this.
What keeps tick populations on the rise?
And what makes its host change?
Monitor tick data.
In recent years, the number of black-legged quails in the northern hemisphere has been decreasing, while the number of ticks has been increasing.
The black-legged quail is a bird introduced from China to Europe, distributed in China, Mongolia, Russia and other places, and was once an endemic bird in Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan and other provinces in southern China, and the number is still very rich.
However, with the killing of people and the destruction of the living environment, the number continues to decrease, coupled with climate change, the number and distribution range of ticks continue to expand.
The increase in the number of ticks has also attracted people's attention, but people have the impression that ticks are supposed to be attached to animals, but researchers have discovered a new phenomenon: ticks can jump from dogs to people.
Researchers monitored the number of ticks in dogs from 2013 to 2016.
It was found that between 2013 and 2016, the number of ticks in dogs almost doubled.
So, what is it that causes the number of ticks to become so large?
Subsequently, some researchers on climate warming analyzed this and came to the conclusion that climate warming would lead to a massive increase in the number of ticks.
What are the benefits of rising temperatures for tick survival?
When monitoring the number of ticks, some researchers also keep detailed records of the number and size of ticks.
Eventually, they found that as global temperatures rose, ticks increased in number and size, increasing to an additional quarter.
This shocked the researchers, because in general, ticks live on animals, and the number of ticks in an animal should be very small.
But this time, they found that when they monitored the number of ticks in hundreds of dogs, they found that the number of ticks in one dog could reach thousands at once.
This surprised them and they thought that ticks might cause some diseases.
Ticks feed on the blood of their hosts, and their saliva contains viruses and bacteria, making it easy for people to get sick.
Why is the tick population on the rise?
So, why is the tick population on the rise?
In the course of this study, they found that dogs with ticks in their bodies have a lot of ticks in their eyes and gums.
This also illustrates the risk of people being able to carry ticks from dogs when they are out and about.
Researchers around the world contacted and in 2000 1,000 dogs were monitored for ticks.
It was found that there were only 50 dogs with a maximum of 50 parasitic ticks, but the number of ticks was very stable for the time since.
But in 2013, the number of ticks doubled compared to 2000, much to the surprise of the researchers.
Eventually, the researchers found patterns in tick data collected from around the world: the larger the tick, the more hosts there are.
Also, there are two to three times more ticks in dogs than in other felines such as cats and rabbits.
But in Argentina, South America and other places, no one has ever tested their pets for ticks.
Because the number of ticks is affected by the season, animal species, and other factors, some researchers have begun to simulate conditions such as the living environment of ticks.
They found that if eight ticks could survive atmospheric pressure before, even one tick can now survive under the same conditions.
The researchers were shocked by the results, as there was no correlation between air pressure and the number of ticks.
They then simulated other environmental factors and found that environmental conditions such as high temperature and humidity were necessary for ticks to survive.
In the researchers' research, ticks also transmit a disease called Bartonia, which is mainly transmitted by ticks.
This disease is also an infectious disease, so people must pay attention to prevention.
The tick population is on the rise, and people must be careful not to let their numbers explode again.
The effects of climate warming.
But the skyrocketing tick population is mainly due to climate warming.
In the early days, the number of ticks was very small, but later, as the global temperature rose, the number of ticks increased.
Ticks are cold-blooded, so they are more active when the temperature is high.
Moreover, the increase in temperature is beneficial to its own host, because the tick's greatest range of activity is around its host.
Therefore, too high temperature and humidity are a very big advantage for tick reproduction.
As a result, ticks are increasing in number and size, and what kind of animals do they parasitize on?
Ticks do not select for different species of animals, as long as the animal has the right body temperature, they will suck the blood of the animal and lay eggs.
As a result, the number of animals such as gorillas has skyrocketed, and in order to adapt to this environment, like ticks adapted to dogs, they slowly begin to adapt to the body temperature of other animals.
The researchers also found that in the study, there was a type of tick that only parasitized the body of gorillas, but now it has been found that there are more than 100 of these ticks in a single dog, which led the researchers to think that the tick is starting to adapt to dogs.
This also shows that the number of ticks will continue to increase, and there is a high probability that these multiple adaptation to the host will adapt to the human body temperature environment.
With the continuous change of human living habits, there are also some people who live and work outdoors, so it will have some impact on human life.
Not only will it have an impact on human life, but it will also lead to the spread of many diseases, such as Bartona, which are transmitted by ticks.
People must pay attention to more prevention.
epilogue
The number of ticks will continue to increase, and the most suitable parasite for ticks is humans, so people must pay attention to prevention.
At the same time, it is also necessary to recognize that the impact of climate change is already having an impact on human life.