Appreciating Parasites: From Molecules to Ecosystems

“What would the world be like without parasites?” – this is the guiding question for this 2-week intensive course based at the ANU Kioloa Coastal campus. During the course we will look into the role, history, lifestyle, evolution, ecology and diversity of parasites in the biosphere. Through lectures, workshops and practical experiments we will explore the terrestrial and aquatic parasites found in the local environment and contemplate on the challenges parasites face, the bases for their survival and their impact on the environment. Through adopting a big picture biological inquiry of parasites the course considers: - parasites in their environment; - their evolutionary past; - the complex flow that is the organism/s; - forms of communicating and interaction that occur at the organismal and population levels; and - the dynamic complexity and yet specificity of host-parasite interactions. This is a multi-disciplinary course that ranges from molecular sequencing to evolutionary ecology. Since the course is designed to be a collaborative learning journey, we value a diverse background of the participants. A willingness to contribute and the ability to work in a team are a requirement for participation.