Habitat selection by helminths: a hypothesis.
How do liver worms find the liver? Why are heartworms always found in the heart? Attempts to answer these questions have invariably yielded inconclusive results. A major problem has been the use of models or hypotheses derived from studies of free-living organisms. The parasite's environment is distinct from free-living environments in several fundamental ways and these differences will impact on the evolution of parasite behaviours. In this article, Michael Sukhdeo outlines a hypothesis for habitat selection behavior of helminths that is based on the specific environmental conditions within the host.
Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Cool College, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA.
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