Ectoparasitism has a damaging impact on the economy of goat production in India, but the factors influencing its distribution and dynamics are less explored. The present study was designed to investigate the influence of environmental factors like weather and air quality parameters on the occurrence of different types of ectoparasites in goats of two agro-climatic regions of India, viz. the Upper Gangetic Plain (UGP) and the Western Himalayas (WH). The prevalence survey for ectoparasitism among goats was conducted during the four distinct climatic seasons (winter, summer, monsoon, autumn) in both regions. The season-wise data of weather parameters (maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity in morning and evening, sunrise and sunset time, mean daily temperature and relative humidity, daily variation in temperature and relative humidity, and day length) and air quality parameters (air quality index (AQI), particulate matter 2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ), particulate matter 10 μm (PM 10 )) of both regions were analyzed in relation with the ectoparasitic prevalence pattern of corresponding regions. The results depict a noticeable correlation between the studied parameters and seasonal variation in the occurrence of each type of ectoparasites. This outcome on the interaction of studied parameters and ectoparasitism is intriguing and it opens a huge scope for future studies on the biometeorological aspects of host-parasite ecological interplay and evolutionary biology. The better understanding of climatological aspects of ectoparasite occurrences helps goat farmers in formulating appropriate timely intervention strategies for the economic control of ectoparasites, which in turn tackles ectoparasiticidal drug resistance and reduces threat of vector-borne diseases.

中文翻译：

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天气模式和空气质量对山羊体外寄生虫生态种群动态的影响

体外寄生对印度山羊生产的经济产生破坏性影响，但对其分布和动态的影响因素研究较少。本研究旨在调查天气和空气质量参数等环境因素对印度两个农业气候区山羊不同类型外寄生虫发生的影响，即。恒河上游平原 (UGP) 和喜马拉雅山脉西部 (WH)。山羊体外寄生虫病流行率调查是在两个地区的四个不同气候季节（冬季、夏季、季风、秋季）进行的。天气参数的季节数据（最高和最低温度，早晚相对湿度，日出和日落时间，日平均温度和相对湿度，温度和相对湿度的每日变化，和昼长）和空气质量参数（空气质量指数（AQI）、颗粒物 2.5 微米（PM 2.5 ）、颗粒物 10 微米（PM 10 ））与相应区域的外寄生虫流行模式相关。结果描述了所研究的参数与每种外寄生虫发生的季节性变化之间的显着相关性。这一研究参数与外寄生相互作用的结果很有趣，它为未来对宿主-寄生虫生态相互作用和进化生物学的生物气象学方面的研究开辟了广阔的空间。更好地了解外寄生物发生的气候方面有助于山羊养殖者制定适当的及时干预策略以经济控制外寄生物，