By influencing the use of space by deer and the population dynamics of mice, acorn production is tied to peaks in abundance of both larval ticks and mice, the most reservoir-competent host, in oak forests during the summer following a mast year. Currently, my colleagues and I are testing the prediction that, because of greater densities of mice in the postmast year, larval ticks have a higher probability of feeding on this reservoir species and consequently of acquiring the Lyme-disease-causing bacterium. If this is true, we expect bacterial-infection rates of nymphal ticks to be highest two years following heavy acorn production, an expectation that is currently being tested by dissecting ticks and examining their tissues for the presence of B. burgdorferi. Because the abundance of infected nymphal ticks is the primary ecological risk factor in the Lyme-disease epidemic, it is clear that masting behavior by oaks may have crucial consequences for Lyme-disease epidemiology
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