Resource selection by New York City deer reveals the effective interface between wildlife, zoonotic hazards, and humans

Although the role of host movement in shaping infectious disease dynamics
is widely acknowledged, methodological separation between animal movement
and disease ecology has prevented researchers from leveraging empirical
insights from movement data to advance landscape scale understanding of
infectious disease risk. To address this knowledge gap, we examine how
movement behavior and resource utilization by white-tailed deer
(Odocoileus virginianus) determines blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis)
distribution, which depend on deer for dispersal in a highly fragmented
New York City borough. Multi-scale hierarchical resource selection
analysis and movement modeling provide insight into how deer’s movements
contribute to the risk landscape for human exposure to the Lyme disease
vector–I. scapularis. We find deer select highly vegetated and accessible
residential properties which support blacklegged tick survival. We
conclude the distribution of tick-borne disease risk results from
individual resource selection by deer across spatial scales in response to
habitat fragmentation and anthropogenic disturbances.