1. Introduction
The history of marine ecology as a scientific discipline has always
been closely linked with the exploration of the oceans. From the
Challenger expedition in the 1870s to modern research cruises, from
the first undersea walk by a diver wearing a heavy copper helmet to
the use of scuba and submersibles, research in marine ecology and
oceanography has always been associated with adventure and big
equipment. Marine ecology has matured as a discipline by developing
its own theoretical framework, overlapping in part with general ecological
theory but also accounting for the unique features of the marine
environment. In contrast, parasitology emerged mostly as a discipline
of the health sciences, with strong ties to medicine and veterinary science,
and with the goal of controlling diseases of humans and domestic
animals. When focused on wildlife, parasitology was long dominated by
a basic natural history approach, consisting in the discovery and taxonomic
description of parasite species and the elucidation of their life cycles.
It is only in the last few decades that the rise of epidemiological
theory and the influence of general ecological theory have impacted
the ecological branch of parasitology and allowed it to develop into a
more rigorous, hypothesis-driven science.
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