COMPETITION MEDIATED BY PARASITES - BIOLOGICAL AND THEORETICAL PROGRESS

Competition mediated through a shared natural enemy is known as 'appar ent competition' and could be an important force determining community structure and biodiversity. Recently, experimental and theoretical st udies have provided a new insight into the mechanisms and conditions t hat could influence coexistence or exclusion. Parasite-mediated compet ition is particularly significant, given the rise in emerging diseases and the opportunity that pathogens have to reduce host abundance.