Fig. 1
From: Environmental drivers of Ixodes ricinus abundance in forest fragments of rural European landscapes
Tick life cycle in a specific habitat patch with particular emphasis on the driver groups analysed in this study. Ticks go through different activity modes (gray, large font) within their life-cycle, while various environmental filters act upon them. While feeding they are attached to their host and get transported to wherever the host moves. Environmental filters also act upon tick-hosts, indirectly determining the success of ticks. Following this logic, the environment relevant for ticks also comprises the host surface and its properties (e.g. fur density or body size), which may thus be microhabitat drivers during the ‘on host’ phase with a certain influence on the success of ticks. This is however omitted from the graph, because it goes beyond the scope of this study