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

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. Parasitologists are extending and integrating the use of network analysis to study host–parasite communities. With the increasing availability of data, parasitology is rapidly moving from mere description of interactions to understanding and predicting how these interactions happen. As a result, parasitology is turning into a computationally demanding science.Parasite traits might be more relevant than their taxonomic affiliation to determine their performance within a community. Host phylogeny and phenotypic attributes affect their interactions within a parasite community.Parasite species composition and parasite interaction patterns within a community might not display congruent variation under changing scenarios. Consequently, both of these components of diversity should be considered in community ecology studies to improve our understanding of ecosystem processes.