Network Analysis: Ten Years Shining Light on Host–Parasite Interactions

Abstract

Biological interactions are key drivers of ecological and evolutionary processes. The complexity of such interactions hinders our understanding of ecological systems and our ability to make effective predictions in changing environments. However, network analysis allows us to better tackle the complexity of ecosystems because it extracts the properties of an ecological system according to the number and distribution of links among interacting entities. The number of studies using network analysis to solve ecological and evolutionary questions in parasitology has increased over the past decade. Here, we synthesise the contribution of network analysis toward disentangling host–parasite processes. Furthermore, we identify current trends in mainstream ecology and novel applications of network analysis that present opportunities for research on host–parasite interactions.