Parasites and the Behavior of Animals (Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution)

When a parasite invades an ant, does the ant behave like other ants?
Maybe not-and if it doesn't, who, if anyone, benefits from the
altered behaviors? The parasite? The ant? Parasites and the
Behavior of Animals shows that parasite-induced behavioral
alterations are more common than we might realize, and it places these
alterations in an evolutionary and ecological context. Emphasizing
eukaryotic parasites, the book examines the adaptive nature of
behavioral changes associated with parasitism, exploring the effects
of these changes on parasite transmission, parasite avoidance, and the
fitness of both host and parasite.
The behavioral changes and their effects are not always
straightforward. To the extent that virulence, for instance, is
linked to parasite transmission, the evolutionary interests of
parasite and host will diverge, and the current winner of the contest
to maximize reproductive rates may not be clear, or, for that matter,
inevitable. Nonetheless, by affecting susceptibility, host/parasite
lifespan and fecundity, and transmission itself, host behavior
influences parameters that are basic to our comprehension of how
parasites invade host populations, and fundamentally, how parasites
evolve. Such an understanding is important for a wide range of
scientists, from ecologists and parasitologists to evolutionary,
conservation and behavioral biologists: The behavioral alterations
that parasites induce can subtly and profoundly affect the
distribution and abundance of animals.