Ecological Communities

To gain a more complete understanding of plant-based ecological community structure requires knowledge of the integration of direct and indirect effects in plant herbivore systems. Trait modification of plants as a result of herbivory is very common and widespread in terrestrial plants, and this initiates indirect interactions between organisms that utilise the same host plant. This 2007 book argues that food webs by themselves are inadequate models for understanding ecological communities, because they ignore important indirect, nontrophic links. This subject is of great importance in understanding not only community organisation but also in identifying the underlying mechanisms of maintenance of biodiversity in nature. This book will be an invaluable resource for researchers and graduate students interested in community and population ecology, evolutionary biology, biodiversity, botany and entomology. Review of the hardback: 'This book is a must in any ecology library and reminds us that ecological systems dynamics are much more than just direct trophic interactions. Indirect interaction webs are to be taken into serious consideration if we wish to understand biotic interactions in terrestrial systems.' Basic and Applied EcologyPreface; Part I. Introduction: 1. Indirect interaction webs: an introduction Takayuki Ohgushi, Timothy P. Craig and Peter W. Price; Part II. Interaction Linkages Produced by Plant-mediated Indirect Effects: 2. Plant-mediated interactions in herbivorous insects: mechanisms, symmetry, and challenging the paradigms of competition past Robert F. Denno and Ian Kaplan; 3. Going with the flow: plant vascular systems mediate indirect interactions between plants, insect herbivores and hemi-parasitic plants Susan E. Hartley, Kathy A. Bass and Scott N. Johnson; 4. Plant-mediated effects linking herbivory and pollination Judith L. Bronstein, Travis E. Huxman and Goggy Davidowitz; 5. Trait-mediated indirect interactions, density-mediated indirect interactions and direct interactions between mammalian and insect herbivores Jose M. Gomez and Adela Gonzales-Megias; 6. Insect-mycorrhizal interactions: patterns, processes and consequences Alan C. Gange; Part III. Plant-mediated Indirect Effects in Multitrophic Systems: 7. Plant-mediated interactions between below- and aboveground processes: decomposition, herbivory, parasitism and pollination Katja Poveda, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Stefan Scheu and Teja Tscharntke; 8. Bottom-up cascades induced by fungal endophytes in multitrophic systems Enrique J. Chaneton and Marina Omacini; 9. Ecology meets plant physiology: herbivore-induced plant responses and their indirect effects on arthropod communities Maurice W. Sabelis, Junji Takabayashi, Arne Janssen, Merijn Kant, Michiel van Wijk, Beata Sznajder, Nayanie Aratchige, Izabela Lesna, Belen Belliure and Robert C. Schuurink; Part IV. Plant-mediated Indirect Effects on Communities and Biodiversity: 10. Nontrophic, indirect interaction webs of herbivorous insects Takayuki Ohgushi; 11. Effects of arthropods as physical ecosystem engineers on plant-based trophic interaction webs Robert J. Marquis and John T. Lill; 12. Host plants mediated ant-aphid mutualisms and their effects on community structure and diversity Gina M. Wimp and Thomas G. Whitham; 13. Biodiversity is related to indirect interactions among species of large effect Joseph K. Bailey and Thomas G. Whitham; Part V. Evolutionary Consequences of Plant-mediated Indirect Effects: 14. Evolution of plant-mediated interactions among natural enemies Timothy P. Craig; 15. Linking ecological and evolutionary change in multitrophic interactions: assessing the evolutionary consequences of herbivore-induced changes in plant traits David M. Althoff; Part VI. Synthesis: 16. Indirect interaction webs propagated by herbivore-induced changes in plant traits Takayuki Ohgushi, Timothy P. Craig and Peter W. Price.