Book excerpt: Here is a comprehensive review of the ecology of freshwater bivalves and gastropods worldwide. Robert Dillon discusses the ecology of these species in its broadest sense, including diet, habitat, and reproductive biology to emphasize the tremendous diversity of these freshwater invertebrates. He develops a new life history model that unifies them and reviews their population and community ecology, treating competition, predation, parasitism, and biogeography. Extensively referenced and synthesizing work from the nineteenth century through to the present day, this book includes original analyses that unify previous work into a coherent whole.