Insects and Ecosystem Function

✍ Scribed by W. W. Weisser, E. Siemann (auth.), W. W. Weisser Dr., E. Siemann Dr. (eds.)

Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
Year: 2008
Tongue: English
Leaves: 418
Series: Ecological Studies 173
Edition: 1
Category: Library

No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.

✦ Synopsis

In the past two decades, an increasing number of ecologists have started to investigate the importance of biodiversity for ecological processes such as energy flow and nutrient cycling, often referred to as 'ecosystem functioning'. Insects are a dominant component of biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems and play a key role in mediating the relationship between plants and ecosystem processes. This volume is the first to summarize their effects on ecosystem functioning, focusing mainly, but not exclusively, on herbivorous insects. Renowned authors with extensive experience in the field of plant-insect interactions, contribute to the volume using examples from their own work. In addition to providing concise reviews of the field, this volume discusses in detail the advantages and disadvantages of various techniques of manipulating insect herbivory. Thus, the text provides both a theoretical basis as well as practical advice for future manipulative studies of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages I-XXI
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
The Various Effects of Insects on Ecosystem Functioning....Pages 3-24
Front Matter....Pages 25-25
Insect Herbivores, Nutrient Cycling and Plant Productivity....Pages 27-52
Indirect Effects of Invertebrate Herbivory on the Decomposer Subsystem....Pages 53-69
Biotic Interactions in the Rhizosphere: Effects on Plant Growth and Herbivore Development....Pages 71-91
Belowground Herbivores and Ecosystem Processes....Pages 93-112
Front Matter....Pages 113-113
Bottom-Up Effects and Feedbacks in Simple and Diverse Experimental Grassland Communities....Pages 115-135
The Potential of Phytophagous Insects in Restoring Invaded Ecosystems: Examples from Biological Weed Control....Pages 135-153
Plant-Insect-Pathogen Interactions on Local and Regional Scales....Pages 155-173
Food Web Interactions and Ecosystem Processes....Pages 175-191
A General Rule for Predicting When Insects Will Have Strong Top-Down Effects on Plant Communities: On the Relationship Between Insect Outbreaks and Host Concentration....Pages 193-211
The Ecology Driving Nutrient Fluxes in Forests....Pages 213-239
Front Matter....Pages 241-241
Simulating Herbivory: Problems and Possibilities....Pages 243-255
The Use and Usefulness of Artificial Herbivory in Plant-Herbivore Studies....Pages 257-275
From Mesocosms to the Field: The Role and Value of Cage Experiments in Understanding Top-Down Effects in Ecosystems....Pages 277-302
Reducing Herbivory Using Insecticides....Pages 303-327
The Role of Insect Herbivores in Exotic Plant Invasions: Insights Using a Combination of Methods to Enhance or Reduce Herbivory....Pages 329-355
Herbivore-Specific Transcriptional Responses and Their Research Potential for Ecosystem Studies....Pages 357-379
Front Matter....Pages 381-381
Testing the Role of Insects in Ecosystem Functioning....Pages 383-401
Back Matter....Pages 403-416

✦ Subjects

Animal Ecology; Plant Ecology; Invertebrates; Ecosystems; Biodiversity; Community & Population Ecology

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