Parasites, disease and the structure of ecological communities.

Abstract

Pathogens and parasites are fascinating to epidemiologists and ecologists alike; as well as causing disease in individual species, they can perturb the normal functioning of a community and thus give insights into the way that the community ‘functions’. Several recent studies on diseases in animal populations have confirmed the importance of pathogens and parasites as components of ecological systems, while also revealing the underlying structure of complex multispecies communities.