Variation among parasite strains can affect the progression of disease or the effectiveness of
treatment. What maintains parasite diversity? Here I argue that competition among parasites …

Background The parasite composition of wild host individuals often impacts their behavior
and physiology, and the transmission dynamics of pathogenic species thereby determines …

The northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini & Fanzago, 1877), is found on
several continents and has been a major pest of poultry in the United States for nearly a …

Birds are plagued by an impressive diversity of ectoparasites, ranging from feather-feeding
lice, to feather-degrading bacteria. Many of these ectoparasites have severe negative effects …

For most, the mere mention of lice forces an immediate hand to the head and recollection of
childhood experiences with nits, medicated shampoos, and traumatic haircuts. But for a …

Ecological speciation occurs when local adaptation generates reproductive isolation as a by-
product of natural selection. Although ecological speciation is a fundamental source of …

Many phoretic relationships between arthropods are understudied because of taxonomic
impediments. We here illustrate for avian lice riding on hippoboscid flies how new natural …

Phoresy is a behaviour where one organism hitches a ride on another more mobile
organism. This is a common dispersal mechanism amongst relatively immobile species that …

Parasite diversification is influenced by many of the same factors that affect speciation of free-
living organisms, such as biogeographic barriers. However, the ecology and evolution of the …

Transmission to new hosts is a fundamental challenge for parasites. Some species meet this
challenge by hitchhiking on other, more mobile parasite species, a behaviour known as …