Acorns at the Base of a Red Oak (<i>Quercus rubra</i>) during a Heavy Year of Mast Production. Many species of wildlife, including white-footed mice (<i>P. leucopus</i>), an important disease reservoir for Lyme disease, feast on acorns during years of high availability.
(Picture courtesy of Rick Ostfeld; photograph by Molly Ahearn.)
CC BY 2.5
Bradbury J: <i>Beyond the Fire-Hazard Mentality of Medicine: The Ecology of Infectious Diseases.</i> PLoS Biol 1/2/2003: e22. <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0000022">https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0000022</a>