The microclimate is composed of the suite of micro-scale climatic
conditions measured in defined areas, for example, near
the ground surface (Geiger, 1965; Chen et al., 1999), including temperature,
wind speed, degree of exposure, saturation deficit (SD)
and soil moisture. Variations in microclimate can increase or decrease
the survival chances and the developmental rate of a tick,
induce changes in population growth, behavior, susceptibility to
pathogens, incubation period of pathogens, seasonality of activity
and pathogen transmission