PARASITISM AND ECOLOGY OF WETLANDS - A REVIEW

Recent advances in ecology have suggested that parasites, through the spectrum of their effects, could act as key species in ecosystems. Wet lands are productive ecosystems within which parasitism is diversified . There already exists evidence for direct and indirect effects of par asites on their host species. The influence of parasites on the popula tion ecology of hosts includes survival, castration, sexual selection, predation, and spatial distribution. Parasites can also affect the ev olution of host biological diversity (i.e., genetic structure and inte rspecific competition) and trophic interactions between prey and preda tors. The key role parasites might play in the ecology of coastal wate rs and wetlands should be considered in conservation programs applied to such ecosystems.