Insects and Ecosystem Function

Section I. Introduction

1. The Various Effects of Insects on Ecosystem Functioning
W. W. Weisser, E. Siemann

Section II. Insects and the Belowground System

2. Insect Herbivores, Nutrient Cycling and Plant Productivity
S. E. Hartley, T. H. Jones

3. Indirect Effects of Invertebrate Herbivory on the Decomposer Subsystem
D. A. Wardle, R. D. Bardgett

4. Biotic Interactions in the Rhizosphere: Effects on Plant Growth and Herbivore Development
M. Bonkowski, S. Scheu

5. Belowground Herbivores and Ecosystem Processes
G. J. Masters

Section III. Plant-Insect Interactions and Ecosystem Processes

6. Bottom-Up Effects and Feedbacks in Simple and Diverse Experimental Grassland Communities
J. Joshi, S. J. Otway, J. Koricheva, A. B. Pfisterer, J. Alphei, B. A. Roy, M. Scherer-Lorenzen, B. Schmid, E. Spehn, A. Hector

7. The Potential of Phytophagous Insects in Restoring Invaded Ecosystems: Examples from Biological Weed Control
H. Zwölfer, H. Zimmermann

8. Plant-Insect-Pathogen Interactions on Local and Regional Scales
A. Kruess, S. Eber, S. Kluth, T. Tscharntke

9. Food Web Interactions and Ecosystem Processes
A. Janssen, M. W. Sabelis

10. 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
W. P. Carson, J. Patrick Cronin, Z. T. Long

11. The Ecology Driving Nutrient Fluxes in Forests
B. Stadler, E. Mühlenberg, B. Michalzik

Section IV. Methods: Reducing, Enhancing and Simulating Insect Herbivory

12. Simulating Herbivory: Problems and Possibilities
J. Hjältén

13. The Use and Usefulness of Artificial Herbivory in Plant-Herbivore Studies
K. Lehtilä, E. Boalt

14. From Mesocosms to the Field: The Role and Value of Cage Experiments in Understanding Top-Down Effects in Ecosystems
O. J. Schmitz

15. Reducing Herbivory Using Insecticides
E. Siemann, W. P. Carson, W. E. Rogers, W. W. Weisser

16. The Role of Insect Herbivores in Exotic Plant Invasions: Insights Using a Combination of Methods to Enhance or Reduce Herbivory
W. E. Rogers, E. Siemann

17. Herbivore-Specific Transcriptional Responses and Their Research Potential for Ecosystem Studies
C. Voelckel, I. T. Baldwin

Section V. Synthesis

18. Testing the Role of Insects in Ecosystem Functioning
E. Siemann, W. W. Weisser

Keywords: Life Sciences, Animal Ecology, Plant Ecology, Invertebrates, Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Community & Population Ecology