Online seminar by Prof. Donghun Kim from Department of Entomology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju, Republic of Korea
09 September 2026
KST 10:00
The Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, is an obligate hematophagous ectoparasite of vertebrate hosts, including humans. As a vector of diverse pathogens, including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), H. longicornis poses important public and veterinary health concerns. Natural populations of H. longicornis are maintained through two distinct reproductive strategies: parthenogenesis and bisexual reproduction. In South Korea, the two reproductive lineages co-occurred, but their relative frequencies varied among geographic regions. Parthenogenetic ticks predominated in the northeastern regions, whereas bisexual ticks predominated in the southwestern regions. This geographic pattern raised the question of whether the two reproductive lineages differ in life-history characteristics that may affect their population establishment and persistence. Morphometric and life-history analyses revealed that parthenogenetic ticks were significantly larger than bisexual ticks. Parthenogenetic nymphs and adults had shorter feeding periods and greater replete body weights, whereas bisexual ticks had higher survival rates at several developmental transitions and a shorter overall developmental duration. Despite their higher egg production, parthenogenetic ticks did not exhibit higher daily demographic growth potential. These findings indicate that the greater reproductive output of the parthenogenetic lineage was offset by lower survival and longer development. Future studies should determine whether climate change differentially affects the demographic performance and vector competence of the two reproductive lineages, potentially altering their geographic distributions and the risk of tick-borne disease transmission.
Presenter info:
Donghun Kim
Associate Professor
Department of Entomology
College of Ecology & Environmental Science
Kyungpook National University
Zoom meeting info:
https://pusan.zoom.us/j/82784451503?pwd=jWV97byKO1PnA5AoprCUaPRzsBROS1.1
Meeting ID: 827 8445 1503
Passcode: 589952