Project Grant 2432607

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) provides $471,214.00 to the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Inc. to conduct research aimed at improving the ability to predict Lyme disease risk. The research project, titled "LTREB RENEWAL: RESOURCE PULSES AND THE DYNAMICS OF RODENTS, TICKS, AND LYME-DISEASE RISK IN OAK FORESTS", will collect new data on tick populations and survival, investigate how temperature and humidity impact tick life stages, and continue a 30-year study on seed production by forest trees. The research will help develop forecasts for Lyme disease risk by examining the complex interactions between rodents, ticks, predators, and forest ecosystems. This award, effective April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2030, supports the Institute's expertise in disease ecology, forest ecology, and ecosystem science to address this important public health challenge.