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Data from: Deer keds and blacklegged ticks infesting ungulates in the United States: molecular detection of Bartonella spp., Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma spp., and Borrelia spp.

    Deer keds are blood-feeding flies from which several human and animal pathogens have been detected, including the causative agent of Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi). Cervids, which are the primary hosts of deer keds, are not natural reservoirs of B. burgdorferi, and it has been suggested that deer keds may acquire bacterial pathogens by co-feeding near ticks that are infected with the bacteria. We tested this hypothesis by using a molecular assay to screen for presence of Anaplasma spp., Bartonella spp., Borrelia spp., and Rickettsia spp. in specimens of European deer keds (n=306) and blacklegged ticks (n=315) collected from 38 individual white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania. There was limited similarity in the bacterial DNA detected between these ectoparasites per host, suggesting that co-feeding may not be a mechanism by which deer keds acquire these bacteria.

    Data from: Range size, local abundance and effect inform species descriptions at scales relevant for local conservation practice

      This study describes how metrics defining invasions may be more broadly applied to both native and invasive species in vegetation management, supporting their relevance to local scales of species conservation and management. A sample monitoring dataset is used to compare range size, local abundance and effect as well as summary calculations of landscape penetration (range size × local abundance) and impact (landscape penetration × effect) for native and invasive species in the mixed-grass plant community of western North Dakota, USA.

      Data from: Life history changes in Trogoderma variabile and T. inclusum due to mating delay with implications for mating disruption as a management tactic

        Egg and progeny counts for Trogoderma variabile and Trogoderma inclusum adults with delays in mating. These data were generated to examine the effect of mating delay on life history and reproductive capacity as a cue to the use of mating disruption tactics such as pheromone lures. Survivorship was calculated as the last day egg counts were recorded for an individual. Blocks were adults that were all mated on the same day. Reps are an individual female. Control beetles are coded with either an "f" or an "m" for female and male and were never mated. Male control data was examined for similarity to female control data but was not used in further analysis and comparison. The experiment was all done at 30C, 65% relative humidity and a 16 light/8 dark photoperiod. Adults were transferred every 2 days to new vials and eggs were then counted and save for progeny counts. Trogoderma variabile populations were laboratory colonies for over 20 years. T. inclusum populations were collected in Kansas in August of 2012. We did not transform these data.