149 Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis Studia Naturae, 6: 149–156, 2021, ISSN 2543-8832 DOI: 10.24917/25438832.6.9 Sylwia Koczanowicz*, Magdalena Nowak-Chmura Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology, Pedagogical University of Krakow, Podchorążych 2 St., 30-084 Kraków, Poland; *sylwia.koczanowicz@doktorant.up.krakow.pl Exposition to ticks in the Poprad Landscape Park – short faunistic note Introduction �e Poprad Landscape Park is one of the biggest landscape parks in Poland. It covers the large part of Beskid Sądecki and the Polish part of �e Czerchów Mountains. It is the place of unmatched natural, landscape and historical values. �e Park has the area of 53 419.3 ha, where 70% is the forest with the majority of �r, beech, linden and alder trees. Within the Park, there are 13 nature reserves with a total area 600.6 ha. It has got a lot of educational-environmental paths, tourists trails and cycle lanes. �ere are also resorts famous for medicinal water. It is willingly visited by tourists (on average – 65 thousand tourists each year – data from 23 sensors located in the park) and its hiking trails are very popular (Zawartka, 2013; Boguś et al., 2020). In Lesser Poland, the occurrence and the number of ticks, especially Ixodes ricinus L. have been examined for years (Siuda, 1993). Nevertheless, there are still a lot of places that have not been examined yet. �e Poprad Landscape Park is one of them. Ticks are vectors of many bacteria, viruses, protozoa. �ese pathogens are an etiological agents of various dangerous human and animal diseases. �erefore, it is very important to conduct research in tourist areas to assessment of the human potential risk of exposure to ticks and tick borne diseases (Nowak-Chmura, 2013). Due to this knowledge we can improve people’s awareness of ticks and the epidemiological threat they represent. �e main aim of the study is to con�rm the occurrence of ticks I. ricinus in the Poprad Landscape Park and to describe the potential risk of tick attacks on locals, tourists and park rangers. Materials and methods Ticks (species of Ixodes ricinus L.) were collected on two educational-environmental paths and one tourist trail in the Poprad Landscape Park (Fig. 1). �e �rst collection S yl w ia K oc za no w ic z, M ag da le na N ow ak -C hm ur a 150 was conducted on 9th May 2020 on the educational-environmental path “Rogasiowy Szlak” in Rytro (from 49°29ʹ05.4ʺN 20°38ʹ51.1ʺE to 49°28ʹ24.5ʺN 20°38ʹ04.3ʺE). It is a 12 km educational-environmental path and has 14 theme stands. It is mostly visit- ed by children, school trips and families. �ere are two drinking water springs and a  quarry on this area. �e area is covered by beech-�r-pine forest. 4 stands (I–IV) were marked on the path. Collecting started at 10.00 a.m., the temperature was 19°C, and it was sunny. Fig. 1. �e location of study area in the Poprad Landscape Park �e next collection was conducted on 6th June 2021, along the tourist trail “Barani szlak” (from 49°25ʹ04.5ʺN 20°53ʹ49.7ʺE to 49°24ʹ41.4ʺN 20°55ʹ19.5ʺE). Ticks were col- lected from the area between the ruins of Rytro Castle and the shelter “Chata Górska Cyrla”. �e trail is very popular with tourists. �e shelter is usually full of locals and tourists. Ticks were collected from 4 stands (I–IV). Collecting started at 3 p.m.; the temperature was 23°C; it was sunny. �e last collection was conducted on 19th June 2021 in Krynica-Zdrój, on the edu- cational-environmental path “Na stoku Jaworzyny Krynickiej” (from 49°25ʹ04.5ʺN 20°53ʹ49.7ʺE to 49°24ʹ41.4ʺN 20°55ʹ19.5ʺE). It is a  4.5 km path, really picturesque and very touristy. It contains 14 theme information tables. Ticks were collected from 5 stands (I  – V). Collecting started at 3 p.m., the temperature was 28°C, it was hot and sunny. Exposition to ticks in the P oprad Landscape P ark – short faunistic note 151 Ticks were collected using the �agging method (Siuda, 1993). A  �annel �ag 60 cm × 40 cm was attached to a stick. �en, this stick was used to sweep low vegetation up to 1 m high. Each time the �ag was checked for ticks. �e ticks were carried out by tweezers to the test-tubes �lled 1/3 with 70% ethanol (Fig. 2). �e test-tubes were described: the place of collection, date, time, weather. Ticks were designated according to the species and developmental stage using a stereoscopic microscope. To identify of ticks, guides by Siuda (1993) and Nowak-Chmura (2013) were used. Fig. 2. �e collecting of ticks: A–B – transfer of the ticks using tweezers to test tubes 1/3 �lled with 70% ethanol, C – ticks secured in a test-tube (Photo. S. Koczanowicz) Results A total of 213 specimen of I. ricinus were found at all analysed research stands includ- ing: 59 ♀, 62 ♂, 91 nymphs and 1 larva. �e percentage comparison of these results is shown in �gure 3. �e highest number of ticks (111) was collected on 6 June 2021 on the tourist trail “Barani Szlak” in Rytro. �e lowest number – only 32 ticks were collected on 19 June 2021 on the educational-environmental path “Na stoku Jaworzyny Krynickiej”. In May, the highest number of nymph forms was recorded at the stands on “Rogasiowy Szlak”. On the other hand, in June at the stands on “Barani Szlak” – most adult males and females were found. At the stands of “Na stoku Jaworzyny Krynickiej”, the structure of the share of individual forms of I. ricinus was similar to that recorded in May at “Rogasiowy Szlak”. S yl w ia K oc za no w ic z, M ag da le na N ow ak -C hm ur a 152 Below is a list of stands and a numerical list of the collected on study area specimens of I. ricinus L. 1) �e educational-environmental path “Rogasiowy Szlak”: In total on this area, 70 individuals of I. ricinus were collected: 7 ♀ (10%), 6 ♂ (9%), 57 nymphs (81%). No larval forms were found. Stands: I – 1 ♀; 3 ♂; 13 nymphs. II – 1 ♀; 2 ♂; 4 nymphs. III – 4 ♀; 1 ♂; 22 nymphs. IV – 1 ♀; 18 nymphs. 2) �e tourist trail “Barani szlak”: In total on this area, 111 individuals of I. ricinus were collected: 41 ♀ (37%), 50 ♂ (45%), 19 nymphs (17%) and 1 larva (1%). Stands: I – 1 ♂; 7 nymphs, 1 larva. II – 10 ♀; 25 ♂; 3 nymphs. III – 10 ♀; 6 ♂; 4 nymphs. IV – 21 ♀; 18 ♂; 5 nymphs. 3) �e educational-environmental path “Na stoku Jaworzyny Krynickiej”: In total, on this area 32 individuals of I. ricinus were collected: 11 ♀ (34%), 6 ♂ males (19%), 15 nymphs (47%). No larval forms were found. Stands: I – 1 ♂. II – 1 ♂; 3 nymphs. Fig. 3. Percentage comparison of the total number of collected Ixodes ricinus L. specimens by sex and developmental stage: A – “Rogasiowy Szlak”, B – “Barani szlak”, C – “Na stoku Jaworzyny Krynickiej” Exposition to ticks in the P oprad Landscape P ark – short faunistic note 153 III – 2 ♀. IV – 5 ♀; 2 ♂; 12 nymphs. V – 4 ♀; 2 ♂. Short discussion Ixodes ricinus L. is the most common tick in Poland and Europe (Cuber, 2009; Nowak, Siuda, 2006). It is the main vector of transmitted pathogens. It occurs unevenly, mainly in leafy and mixed forests, shrubs places and on wet pastures. Optimal humidity for this species is 80–100%. �is tick occurs o�en along the trails frequented by wild animals, paths and trails for tourists. It is getting more common in wooded urban areas such as parks and allotments (Cisak, Zwoliński, 2010; Nowak, 2013; Nowak, Siuda, 2012). In Poland, I. ricinus is active from early spring to late autumn. We can talk about two peaks of activity: a spring peak and an autumn peak in late summer and autumn (Siuda, 1991, 1993). While piercing the skin ticks inject the anesthetic substance so the victim does not feel pain or irritation. Mature stages of I. ricinus feed on blood of big and medium size mammals (cattle, dogs, cats, wild animals, humans). Younger ticks attack mainly small mammals, birds and reptiles. All developmental stages of mostly females and nymphs can feed on humans (Wilhelmsson et al., 2013). Before attacking, ticks look for the best place to take blood from. �ey tend to choose areas where epidermis is thin and wet: areas behind ears, armpits, knees, shanks and groins (Bartosik et al., 2011). With children, they prefer areas of face or head (Keklikçi et al., 2009). �e Małopolska Voivodship is constantly monitored for the presence of ticks (Siuda et al., 2001; Nowak et al., 2009). One of them is the bu�er zone of the Poprad Land- scape Park, where �eld research was conducted in Barcice and Barcice Dolne in 2018 (Janiczek, 2019). In the area designated for this study, there are favourable conditions for the development and spread of di�erent tick species. In the vicinity of the designat- ed stands, within all three trails, there are areas potentially favoured by I. ricinus and migration routes of wild animals, o�en visited by them. Together with the presence of educational and hiking trails, all these factors favour the presence and easy spread of this species. �is is con�rmed by the relatively large number of ticks (213 individuals) found in total in all 13 examined stands. �e preliminary research carried out here has shown that in the spring period, nymphs, i.e. juvenile developmental stages, dominate among the collected forms of this species (Fig. 3), while in the early summer period – mature males and females. �is is consistent with the information about this species known from the literature (Siuda, 1991, 1993, 2008). �e path “Na stoku Jaworzyny Krynickiej” has conditions favoured by ticks: it is touristy, near meadows, mixed forest, with traces of wild animals; not very S yl w ia K oc za no w ic z, M ag da le na N ow ak -C hm ur a 154 high number individuals occur here was probably due to the high temperature – when the collecting started it was very hot (28°C), and the humidity was over 41%. On the other hand, the negligible share of larval forms can be explained by a di�erent time of their appearance in the analysed area (weather and vegetation season), which certainly requires further, more detailed exploration. Scienti�c research conducted recently in Poland con�rms that the most dangerous vector of tick-borne diseases for humans and animals is I. ricinus. In the Słowiński National Park registered the presence of I. ricinus on tourist trails and the threat to park rangers and tourists. Ticks carried pathogens of Anaplasma phagocytophilum Dumler et al., Babesia microti França, Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. Johnson et al. emend. Baranton et al. and Toxoplasma gondii Nicolle & Manceaux (Semla et al., 2014; Asman et al., 2017). In the Bieszczady National Park and neighbouring areas, among 148 ex- amined individuals of I. ricinus 25.7% carried a similar pathogens (Nowak-Chmura, Siuda, 2016). �e research conducted in the Polish Jurassic Highland indicated that the foresters who spend a lot of time in natural tick habitat are more likely to get infected with spirochaete of B. burgdorferi (Nowak-Chmura, 2013). �e risk of being attacked by ticks depends on many factors, i.e. geographical area, climate, temperature, humidity and how long one is exposed to ticks. Another factor is the method of prevention – the basic method is to wear proper clothes, long trousers, long-sleeved shirts, high socks and boots. It also helps to use repellents and check the body for ticks each time one comes back from a walk (Dutkiewicz et al., 2014). Conclusions �ere are favourable habitats for Ixodes ricinus L. in the Poprad Landscape Park. A total of 213 specimens of this species were found at 13 sites, located within 3 educational and tourist routes. �ere are more nymphs in the spring, and adult males and females in the early summer. �e presence of larvae is likely to depend on weather conditions, season or the places where the collections were carried out. However, these issues require more careful research. Local people, tourists and park rangers are in danger of tick-borne diseases that can threaten their health and lives. Con�ict of interest �e authors declare no con�ict of interest related to this article. References Asman, M., Nowak-Chmura, M., Solarz, K., Szilman, E., Semla, M., Zyśk, B. (2017). Anaplasma phago- cytophilum, Babesia microti, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, and Toxoplasma gondii in Ixodes ricinus (Acari, Ixodida) ticks collected from Slowinski. 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[In Polish] Ekspozycja na kleszcze w Popradzkim Parku Krajobrazowym – krótka notatka faunistyczna Streszczenie W Popradzkim Parku Krajobrazowym występują dogodne siedliska dla Ixodes ricinus L. Łącznie na 13 stano- wiskach, zlokalizowanych w obrębie dwóch szlaków edukacyjno-turystycznych i jednej ścieżki turystycznej, znaleziono 213 osobników tego gatunku. W okresie wiosennym jest więcej nimf, a wczesnym latem doro- słych samców i samic. Obecność larw może zależeć od warunków pogodowych, sezonu lub charakterystyki miejsc, w których został przeprowadzony zbiór. Zagadnienia te wymagają jednak dokładniejszych badań. Miejscowa ludność, turyści i strażnicy parków są narażeni na choroby odkleszczowe, które mogą zagrażać ich zdrowiu i życiu. Key words: Ixodes ricinus, protected area, ticks Received: [2021.10.25] Accepted: [2021.11.17]