Parasites and host life-history traits: implications for community ecology and species co-existence

Most of the evidence for a key role of parasites in structuring communities is based on the idea of a differential susceptibility of host species to infection and its consequences. Recent advances in community ecology suggest that life-history traits of free-living species can be an important determinant of their co-existence within communities. On the other hand, parasites have the potential to indirectly alter the life-history traits of their hosts, such as developmental time or dispersal. We discuss the idea that these indirect effects could influence the structure of free-living and parasite communities. We explore this idea in relation to related concepts including 'parasitic arbitration' and engineering processes.