{
  "abstract": "The distributional expansions of several medically relevant tick species across the central Great Plains create a complex and shifting landscape of tick-borne disease risk. Traditional modeling approaches provide a general picture of distributional potential, but predictions are often static representations of species’ ranges. As pathogen transmission is directly linked to tick questing activity, characterizing the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of this behavior is essential to a better understanding of transmission risk and planning of interventions in the area. In this study, we explore novel ecological niche modeling frameworks based on full use of presence-absence data to illuminate the spatiotemporal dynamics of questing activity of four tick species in the central Great Plains region. We processed data from two years of field tick surveillance to derive presence and absence records of active ticks, maximizing sample sizes and making model evaluation more robust. We coupled sampling events with time-specific environmental covariates to leverage longitudinal sampling data still more. We also constrained model response curves to align with fundamental niche theory within a strong conceptual framework. Model outcomes demonstrate both seasonal dynamics of individual species and differences between species in terms of the geographic potential of questing behavior by Great Plains tick species. These modeling approaches provide a more robust basis for understanding ecological drivers of tick questing activity and characterizing the shifting landscape of vector-borne disease risk.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America",
    "Fish and Wildlife Conservation Department, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America",
    "Research Group of Emerging and Neglected Diseases, Ecoepidemiology and Biodiversity, Health Science Faculty, School of Biomedical Sciences, Universidad Internacional SEK (UISEK), Quito, Ecuador",
    "School of Biological Sciences, Center for Earth Observation and Modeling, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America",
    "Biology Department, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas, United States of America",
    "Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States of America"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 13,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Marlon E. Cobos"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Joanna L. Corimanya"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Eric Ng’eno"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Claudia Nuñez-Penichet"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Abigail C. Perkins"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Zenia Ruiz-Utrilla"
    },
    {
      "name": "Abdelghafar Alkishe"
    },
    {
      "name": "Daniel Romero-Alvarez"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yuan Yao"
    },
    {
      "name": "Anuradha Ghosh"
    },
    {
      "name": "Xiangming Xiao"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Townsend Peterson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kathryn T. Duncan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/avardkdpe5k7c.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0351160",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "avardkdpe5k7c",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351160",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2405|Vector-borne infectious diseases"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Ecology/Ecological niches"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Animals/Invertebrates/Arthropoda/Arachnida/Ixodes/Ticks"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Species interactions/Disease vectors/Ticks"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Animals/Invertebrates/Arthropoda/Arachnida/Ixodes/Ticks"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Atmospheric science/Meteorology/Humidity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Seasons/Autumn"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Ecology/Ecological niches"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Epidemiology/Medical risk factors"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Disease vectors/Ticks"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/People and places/Geographical locations/North America/United States/Kansas"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/People and places/Geographical locations/North America/United States/Oklahoma"
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      "/Physical sciences/Physics/Classical mechanics/Pressure/Vapor pressure"
    ]
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  "openalex": "W4415775559",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0351160&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-01",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/avardkdpe5k7c.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:02Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0351160",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351160"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:ecology",
      "subfield": "ecology"
    },
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:zoology",
      "subfield": "zoology-behaviour"
    },
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "plos:meteorology",
      "subfield": "atmospheric"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Spatiotemporal dynamics of questing activity by four tick species in the central Great Plains",
  "title_text": "Spatiotemporal dynamics of questing activity by four tick species in the central Great Plains",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:02Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/avardkdpe5k7c",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}