We first discussed the possibility of organizing a symposium on helminth communities in June, 1986. At that time, we were engaged in writing a joint paper on potential structuring mechanisms in helminth communities; we disagreed on a number of issues. We felt the reason for such debate was because the discipline was in a great state of flux, with many new concepts and approaches being introduced with increasing frequency. After consider able discussion about the need, scope and the inevitable limitations of such a symposium, we decided that the time was ripe to bring other ecologists, engaged in similar research, face-to-face. There were many individuals from whom to choose; we selected those who were actively publishing on helminth communities or those who had expertise in areas which we felt were particularly appropriate. We compiled a list of potential participants, contacted them and received unanimous support to organize such a symposium. Our intent was to cover several broad areas, fully recognizing that breadth negates depth (at least with a publisher's limitation on the number of pages). We felt it important to consider patterns amongst different kinds of hosts because this is where we had disagreed among ourselves.

Parasites that manipulate the behaviour of their hosts represent striking examples of adaptation by natural selection. This text provides an authoritative review of host manipulation by parasites that assesses developments in the field and lays out a framework for future research.

By joining phylogenetics and evolutionary ecology, this book explores the patterns of parasite diversity while revealing diversification processes.

Introduces readers to key case studies that illustrate how theory and data can be integrated to understand wildlife disease ecology.

When Nancy Beckage and I first met in Lynn Riddiford's laboratory at the University of Washington in the mid 1970s, the fields of parasitology, behavior, and endocrinology were thriving and far-flung--disciplines in no serious danger of intersecting. There were rumors that they might have some common ground: Behavioural Aspects of Parasite Transmission (Canning and Wright, 1972) had just emerged, with exciting news not only of the way parasites themselves behave, but also of Machiavellian worms that caused intermediate hosts to shift fundamental responses to light and disturbance, becoming in the process more vulnerable to predation by the next host (Holmes and Bethel, 1972). Meanwhile, biologists such as Miriam Rothschild (see Dedication), G. B. Solomon (1969), and Lynn Riddiford herself (1975) had suggested that the endocrinological rami of parasitism might be subtle and pervasive. In general, however, para fications sites were viewed as aberrant organisms, perhaps good for a few just-so stories prior to turning our attention once again to real animals. In the decade that followed, Pauline Lawrence (1986a,b), Davy Jones (Jones et al. , 1986), Nancy Beckage (Beckage, 1985; Beckage and Templeton, 1986), and others, including many in this volume, left no doubt that the host-parasite combination in insect systems was physiologically distinct from its unparasitized counterpart in ways that went beyond gross pathology.

A comprehensive account of joint species distribution modelling, covering statistical analyses in light of modern community ecology theory.

This comprehensive, groundbreaking book on the biodiversity of parasites offers a clear and accessible explanation of how parasite biodiversity provides insight into the history and biogeography of other organisms, the structure of ecosystems, and the processes that lead to the diversification of life.