Aboveground–Belowground Community Ecology

Researchers now recognize that above- and belowground communities are indirectly linked to one another, often by plant-mediated mechanisms. To date, however, there has been no single multi-authored edited volume on the subject. This book remedies that gap, and offers state-of-the art insights into basic and applied research on aboveground-belowground interactions and their functional consequences. Drawing on a diverse pool of global expertise, the authors present diverse approaches that span a range of scales and levels of complexity.
The respective chapters provide in-depth information on the current state of research, and outline future prospects in the field of aboveground-belowground community ecology. In particular, the book’s goal is to expand readers’ knowledge of the evolutionary, community and ecosystem consequences of aboveground-belowground interactions, making it essential reading for all biologists, graduate students and advanced undergraduates working in this rapidly expanding field. It touches on multiple research fields including ecology, botany, zoology, entomology, microbiology and the related applied areas of biodiversity management and conservation.

Chapter 1

Linking Aboveground-Belowground Ecology: A Short Historical Perspective

Richard D. Bardgett

Chapter 2

Belowground Experimental Approaches for Exploring Aboveground-Belowground Patterns

Scott N. Johnson, Felicity V. Crotty, James M.R. Ryalls and Philip J. Murray

Chapter 3

Modelling Aboveground-Belowground Interactions

Katrin M. Meyer

Chapter 4

Intraspecific Plant-Soil Feedbacks Link Ecosystem Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Jennifer A. Schweitzer, Michael Van Nuland, and Joseph K. Bailey

Chapter 6

Interactions Involving Rhizobacteria and Foliar-Feeding Insects

Kiran R. Gadhave and Alan C. Gange

Chapter 7

Belowground-Aboveground Interactions Between Pathogens and Herbivores

Chapter 8

Soil Macro-Invertebrates- Their Impact on Plants and Associated Aboveground Communities in Temperate Regions

Susanne Wurst, Ilja Sonnemann, and Johann G. Zaller

Chapter 9

The Feedback Loop Between Aboveground Herbivores and Soil Microbes via Deposition Processes

Cari A. Ritzenthaler, Caitlin E. Maloney, Audrey M. Maran, Eric A. Moore, Amanda Winters, and Shannon L. Pelini

Chapter 10

Eco-Evolutionary Factors Driving Plant-Mediated Above-Belowground Invertebrate Interactions Along Elevation Gradients

Alan Kergunteuil, Moe Bakhtiari, and Sergio Rasmann

Chapter 11

Cross-Compartment Herbivory Effects on Antagonists and Mutualists and Their Consequences for Plant Fitness 

Nicholas A. Barber

Chapter 12

Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics of Above- and Belowground Herbivores and Invasive Plants

Chapter 13

Soil Biota As Drivers of Plant Community Assembly

Paul Kardol, Jonathan R. De Long, and Pierre Mariotte

Chapter 14

Application and Theory of Plant-Soil Feedbacks on Aboveground Herbivores

Ian Kaplan, Ana Pineda, and Martijn Bezemer

Takayuki Ohgushi, Susanne Wurst, and Scott N. Johnson

Takayuki Ohgushi
Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Shiga, Japan, ohgushi@ecology.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Susanne Wurst
Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany, e-mail: s.wurst@fu-berlin.de

Scott N. Johnson
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith NSW, Australia, e-mail: Scott.Johnson@westernsydney.edu.au