Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf die Lebensbedingungen von Nagetieren, assoziierten Parasiten und Pathogenen

Rodents are hosts of parasitic arthropods and their pathogens that can infl ict serious diseases in humans and livestock. Future effects of cli­mate change may affect reproduction, develop­ment and population dynamics of rodents as weil as host-seeking behavior of arthropod vec­tors and their ability to transmit disease agents. This ongoing project aims to examine the effect of climate change on ectoparasites and patho­gens with sanitary relevant zoonotic potential and consequences for rodent species that are regarded as pest species in agriculture and for­estry. The „Global Change Experimental Facility" provides an ideal setting at a suitable spatial scale to identify such effects in field conditions. Altogether 10 plots, each consisting ofrandom­ly distributed 400 m2 patches of five different land use types, are used. Climate conditions are manipulated in half of the plots to reflect future temperature and precipitation while the other plots are unmanipulated experimental controls. Over three years, rodents, ectoparasites and pathogens will be studied. From about April to October, rodents are trapped with up to 8 live traps per patch per month for three consecutive days. Animals are individually marked with PIT tags. Blood and tissue samples are taken, sex, weight and reproduction documented, ectopar­asites collected and individuals released at the point of capture. In 2019, 305 individuals were caught, mostly Apodemus spp. and Microtus spp„ Altogether more individuals were caught on intensively used grassland. Data collected so far do not al­low assessing a climate effect on rodents, ec­toparasites and pathogens or their preference for specific land use types. Preliminary results have to be supplemented and validated with further field data.