This book provides a comprehensive review of the ecology of freshwater bivalves and gastropods worldwide. It deals with the ecology of these species in its broadest sense, including diet, habitat and reproductive biology, emphasising in particular the tremendous diversity of these freshwater invertebrates. Following on from these introductory themes, the author develops a new life history model that unifies them, and serves as a basis for reviews of their population and community ecology, including treatments of competition, predation, parasitism, and biogeography. Extensively referenced and providing a synthesis of work from the 19th century through to the present day, this book includes original analyses that seek to unify previous work into a coherent whole. It will appeal primarily to professional ecologists and evolutionary biologists, as well as to parasitologists.