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.

Various effects of insects on ecosystem functioning

Insect herbivores, nutrient cycling and plant productivity
Indirect effects of invertebrate herbivory on the decomposer subsystem
Biotic interactions in the rhizosphere
Below-ground herbivores and ecosystem processes
Bottom-up effects and feed-backs in simple and diverse experimental grassland communities
The potential of phytophagous insects in restoring invaded ecosystems
Plant-insect-pathogen interactions on local and regional scales
Food web interactions and ecosystem processes
The role of outbreaking insects in plant community dynamics
The ecology driving nutrient fluxes in forests
Simulating herbivory: problems and possibilities
The use and usefulness of artificial herbivory in plant-herbivore studies
The role and value of cage experiments in understanding top-down effects in ecosystems
Reducing herbivory using insecticides
The role of herbivores in alien plant invasions
Herbivore-specific transcriptional responses and their research potential for ecosystem studies
Testing the role of insects for ecosystem functioning.