What does a tick eat besides blood? - briefly
In addition to blood cells, ticks draw the host’s plasma and lymph, extracting proteins, sugars, and electrolytes. Certain species also absorb environmental moisture to stay hydrated.
What does a tick eat besides blood? - in detail
Ticks are obligate hematophages, yet a blood meal does not supply all physiological requirements. During feeding, a tick extracts not only erythrocytes but also plasma, serum proteins, lipids, and dissolved ions. These components provide amino acids, cholesterol, and energy substrates essential for molting and egg production.
In addition to the host’s circulatory fluids, ticks acquire supplemental resources:
- Water: absorbed through the cuticle or via the anus from ambient humidity; essential for maintaining hemolymph volume.
- Salts and electrolytes: obtained from plasma and from environmental sources such as dew or moist leaf litter.
- Host tissue fluids: interstitial fluid and lymph that leak at the attachment site; rich in nutrients and immune-modulating molecules.
- Symbiotic microorganisms: intracellular bacteria (e.g., Coxiella‑like endosymbionts) that synthesize B‑vitamins and cofactors absent in the blood meal.
- Occasional non‑vertebrate material: some soft‑tick species ingest plant sap or fungal spores when questing in humid habitats, though this represents a minor portion of their intake.
The relative contribution of each source varies among species and life stages. Larvae and nymphs generally rely on a single blood meal, supplemented primarily by plasma proteins and water. Adult females, which must produce thousands of eggs, augment their diet with higher lipid and cholesterol intake, often achieved by prolonged feeding on large hosts. The integration of these non‑blood nutrients enables ticks to complete development, reproduce, and survive periods between meals.