EVOLUTION AND ECOLOGY OF BIRD-PARASITE INTERACTIONS

CONVENORS
Erik Matthysen
Dept of Biology, University of Antwerp, Belgium
Fax +32 3820 2271 erik.matthysen@ua.ac.be

Heinz Richner
Zoology Institue, University of Bern, Switzerland
Fax +31 631 3022 heinz.richner@esh.unibe.ch

ABSTRACT
Despite the popularity of birds as model systems in evolution and ecology, studies on host-parasite interactions in natural populations have remained relatively scarce. Parasites can play an important role in population dynamics, natural selection and evolution, but while their role is often assumed (for example in the booming field of ecological immunology) it has rarely been explicitly studied. This symposium aims to bring together various approaches in studying the ecology and evolution of bird-parasite interactions. The keynote presentations by Richner and Boulinier will focus on two well-known bird-ectoparasite model systems and present a synthesis of different aspects of bird-parasite interactions, from adaptive defenses of hosts to epidemiology of parasite-borne infections.

KEYNOTE 1: Thierry Boulinier
The seabird-tick system as a model to address evolutionary ecology questions of epidemiological relevance.

KEYNOTE 2: Heinz Richner
Title to be posted

Bensch, S., Marzal, A., et al  
Diversity, loss and gain of malaria parasites in a globally invasive species

Heylen, D. and Matthysen, E.   
Host-specificity and transmission in the nidicolous tick Ixodes arboricola 

Hochachka, W.M., States, S.L. and Dhondt, A.A.   
Host community composition affects prevalence of a bacterial parasite.