I subscribe to a bi-monthly publication to a magazine produced by the Oklahoma Department Of Wildlife Conservation . Have been subscribing over forty years . March/April magazine arrived , looked at table of contents and two articles caught my attention .
One article was Tips appreciated , pointers from a turkey hunting guru . Skipped it .
Second was Ticks do have a role in Oklahoma Ecosystems , Article was written by a department employee communication specialist who was a graduate researcher with Oklahoma State University studying ticks that parasitized black bears .
I thought maybe I will get an answer to a question that I and others have asked . Why did the good Lord put ticks on the earth ?
The article covered a ticks life cycle , identification , what not , but I want to share the three main roles in the article that ticks play in our ecosystem . Ready , here they are and I quote .
" First , they are a food source , We know different reptiles and birds feed on them . " That will sure fill an empty stomach .
" Second , they can serve as a type of a natural control for wildlife populations because they can carry and transmit diseases " I was glad to hear that because you just cant have enough diseases transmitted . Considering I believe I was sickened by a tick bite and missed most of a turkey season .
" Third , they can be thought of as an ecological indicator of other wildlife populations . An increase in tick population could indicate an increase in a host species like mice . That increase could be due to a decrease in predators like snakes or carnivores . " The more the ticks , the less the predators .
In summary , they are a food source , they carry disease and could indicate your population of predators are down . Therefore, if you have ticks , you could have low predator numbers and disease , but you have a food source . The answer of why the good Lord made ticks , solved by the ODW . Might have to pass on the turkey tip guru , then again , might pass on to you fine folks some tips from the ODW . Sleep well.
