{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.021756647864625302, 'fraction_numerical': 0.004834810636583401, 'mean_word_length': 5.435233160621761, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Water vapor absorption by nymphal lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae), and its ecological significance

Abstract Water relations of unfed nymphs of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (L.), are reported for the first time and compared for impacts due to differences in habitat (temperate vs subtropical) and repeated lab rearing. Features of the water-balance profile include a low tolerance for dehydration and fast water loss rates that are countered by water vapor absorption between 75-84% RH. Results were consistent among nymphs from a 30-yr established colony (Oklahoma) and wild populations from Illinois and Louisiana. This study complements earlier work on larvae and adults and confirms that this tick is hydrophilic, prefers moisture-rich environments and shares similar ecologic requirements with Ixodes. Our conclusion is that inferences derived from colonized ticks reflect what occurs in nature with regard to water balance and the spread and establishment into new geographic regions. Lack of differences between moisture requirements of nymphs from the two different wild populations suggests that water conservation favored by cold temperature has promoted the northward expansion of A. americanum.