Spatial Distribution and Pathogen Profile of Dermacentor reticulatus Ticks in Southeastern Poland: A Genetic and Environmental Analysis

Figure 3

Multifactorial analysis of environmental parameters influencing tick density per 100 m² utilizing a random forest model: (a) relative importance of each environmental parameter, quantified by the percentage increase in mean-squared error (%IncMSE), with altitude and autumn temperature identified as the significant factors; (b) 3D visualization of the data, where the distribution of tick densities is plotted against variations in altitude, autumn temperature (°C), and autumn humidity (%), and the color gradient denotes the mean tick density per 100 m².

(a)

(b)