Abstract
The lack of ecological studies on parasite species is contradictory with their high diversity. In this context, the ecological network approach has drawn attention to patterns of tropical host-parasite interactions; however, it is still very restricted to a few taxonomic groups. In tropical regions, studies on host-parasite networks have encompassed specially fish, amphibian hosts, and malaria parasite communities of birds. High specificity is peculiar to parasites, either considering the host species or the site of infection. Variations in specificity indicate differentiated structural patterns between ecto- and endoparasites networks, as well as larval and adult stages of parasites, influencing the values of connectivity, nestedness, and modularity. Host characteristics also influence the structure of networks, including phylogenetic relationships and diet. Similarly to free-living species in ecosystems suffering the influences of environmental change, parasite species may also be extinct due to primary extinctions of hosts or possibly present new patterns of interaction due to the arrival of invasive species in the environment. New studies should explore network patterns between tropic and non-tropic environments, in addition to the use of molecular tools to identify especially cryptic parasites, which may provide better-supported results.
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Bellay, S., Oda, F.H., Campião, K.M., Yamada, F.H., Takemoto, R.M., de Oliveira, E.F. (2018). Host-Parasite Networks: An Integrative Overview with Tropical Examples. In: Dáttilo, W., Rico-Gray, V. (eds) Ecological Networks in the Tropics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68228-0_9
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