Summary
Insects represent a dominant component of biodiversity in most terrestrial ecosystems yet they have largely been neglected in studies on the role of biodiversity in nutrient cycling, or, more generally, the functioning of ecosystems. The scarcity of manipulative studies on the role of insects in ecosystem processes contrasts with the expert knowledge and large body of research already available, in particular in the field of insect herbivory. Insects are likely to play a key role in mediating the relationship between plants and ecosystem processes by influencing the physiology, activity and population dynamics of plants. The aim of this book is two-fold: (1) to summarize the effects that insects have on ecosystem functioning, focusing mainly, but not exclusively, on herbivorous insects. Authors with extensive experience in the field of plant—insect interactions will discuss the importance of insects in ecosystem functioning; and (2) to provide a detailed discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of various techniques of manipulating insect herbivory. Thus, the book aims to provide both a theoretical basis and practical advice for future manipulative studies on biodiversity—ecosystem functioning. This introductory chapter briefly summarizes the various effects of insects on ecosystem functioning and introduces the chapters in the various sections of this book.
Access provided by Autonomous University of Puebla. Download to read the full chapter text
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
References
Abrahamson WG, McCrea KD (1986) Nutrient and biomass allocation in Solidago altissima: effects of two stem gallmakers, fertilization, and ramet isolation. Oecologia 68: 174–180
Agrawal AA, Karban R (1997) Domatia mediate plant–arthropod mutualism. Nature (Lond) 387: 562–563
Bach CE (2001) Long-term effects of insect herbivory and sand accretion on plant succession on sand dunes. Ecology 82: 1401–1416
Bachelet D, Hunt HW, Detling JK (1989) A simulation model of intraseasonal carbon and nitrogen dynamics of blue grama swards as influenced by above-and belowground grazing. Ecol Model 44: 231–252
Baldwin IT (1998) Jasmonate-induced responses are costly but benefit plants under attack in native populations. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95: 8113–8118
Baldwin IT, Preston CA (1999) The eco-physiological complexity of plant responses to insect herbivores. Planta 208: 137–145
Belovsky GE, Slade JB (2000) Insect herbivory accelerates nutrient cycling and increases plant production. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97: 14412–14417
Blatt SE, Janmaat JA, Harmsen R (2001) Modelling succession to include a herbivore effect. Ecol Model 139: 123–136
Bormann FH, Likens GE (1967) Nutrient cycling. Science 155: 424–429
Brown MJF (1997) Effects of harvester ants on plant species distribution and abundance in a serpentine grassland. Oecologia 112: 237–243
Brown VK (1990) Insect herbivores, herbivory and plant succession. In: Gilbert F (ed) Insect life cycles. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 183–196
Brown VK, Gange AC (1992) Secondary plant succession: how is it modified by insect herbivory? Vegetatio 101: 3–13
Brown VK, Leijn M, Stinson CSA (1987) The experimental manipulation of insect herbivore load by the use of an insecticide (Malathion): the effect of application on plant growth. Oecologia 72: 377–381
Brown VK, Jepsen M, Gibson CWD (1988) Insect herbivory: effects on early old field succession demonstrated by chemical exclusion methods. Oikos 52: 293–302
Cain ML, Carson WP, Root RB (1991) Long-term suppression of insect herbivores increases the production and growth of Solidago-altissima rhizomes. Oecologia 88: 251–257
Cardinale BJ, Palmer MA, Collins SL (2002) Species diversity enhances ecosystem functioning through interspecific facilitation. Nature (Lond) 415: 426–429
Cardinale BJ, Harvey CT, Gross K, Ives AR (2003) Biodiversity and biocontrol: emergent impacts of a multi-enemy assemblage on pest suppression and crop yield in a agroecosystem. Ecol Lett 6: 857–865
Carson WP, Root RB (2000) Herbivory and plant species coexistence: community regulation by an outbreaking phytophagous insect. Ecol Monogr 70: 73–99
Chew RM (1974) Consumers as regulators of ecosystems: an alternative to energetics. Ohio J Sci 74: 359–370
Christenson L, Lovett GM, Mitchell MJ, Groffman PM (2002) The fate of nitrogen in gypsy moth frass deposited to an oak forest floor. Oecologia 131: 444–452
Coleman PC, Hendrix PF (eds) (2000) Invertebrates as webmasters in ecosystems. CAB International, Wallingford, UK
Corbet SA (1997) Role of pollinators in species preservation, conservation, ecosystem stability and genetic diversity. In: Richards KW (ed) Proc Int Symp on Pollination, vol Acta Hort 437, ISHS, pp 219–229
Coupe MD, Cahill JFJ (2003) Effects of insects on primary production in temperate herbaceous communities: a meta-analysis. Ecol Entomol 28: 511–521
Crawley MJ (1983) Herbivory. The dynamics of animal–plant interactions. Blackwell, Oxford
Crawley MJ (ed) (1986) Plant ecology. Blackwell, Oxford
Curry JP (1994) The grassland invertebrate community. In: Curry JP (ed) Grassland, invertebrates. Chapman and Hall, London
Danell K, Ericson L (1990) Dynamic relations between the antler moth and meadow vegetation in northern Sweden. Ecology 7: 1068–1077
Davidson DW (1993) The effects of herbivory and granivory on terrestrial plant succession.Oikos 68: 23–35
De Mazancourt C, Loreau M (2000) Effects of herbivory and plant species replacement on primary production.Am Nat 155: 735–754
Detling JK (1988) Grasslands and savannas: regulation of energy flow and nutrient cycling by herbivores. In: Pomeroy LR, Alberts JJ (eds) Concepts of ecosystem ecology. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 131–148
Dyer MI, Shugart HH (2002) Multi-level interactions arising from herbivory: a simulation analysis of deciduous forests utilizing Foret. Ecol Appl 2: 376–386
Dyer MI, Acra MA, Wang GM, Coleman DC, Freckman DW, McNaughton SJ, Strain BR (1991) Source-sink carbon relations in two Panicum coloratum ecotypes in response to herbivory. Ecology 72: 1472–1483
Ehrlich P, Ehrlich A (198 1) Extinction: the causes and consequences of the disappearance of species. Random House, New York
Feller IC (2002) The role of herbivory by wood-boring insects in mangrove ecosystems in Belize. Oikos 97: 167–176
Fonseca CR (1994) Herbivory and the long-lived leaves of an Amazonian ant-tree. J Ecol 82: 833–842
Gehring AC, Whitham TG (2002) Mycorrhizae–herbivore interactions: population and community consequences. In: Van der Heijden MGA, Sanders IR (eds) Mycorrhizal ecology. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 295–344
Golley FB, McGinnis JT, Clements RG, Child GI, Duever MJ (1975) Mineral cycling in a tropical forest ecosystem. University of Georgia Press, Athens
Gosz JR, Holmes RT, Likens GE, Bormann FH (1978) The flow of energy in a forest ecosystem. Sci Am 238: 92–102
Grayston SJ, Dawson LA, Treonis AM, Murray PJ, Ross J, Reid EJ, McDougall R (2001) Impact of root herbivory by insect larvae on soil microbial communities. Eur J Soil Biol 37: 277–280
Grostal P, O’Dowd DJ (1994) Plants, mites and mutualism: leaf domatia and the abundance and reproduction of mites on Viburnum tinus (Caprifoliaceae). Oecologia 97: 308–315
Hairston NG, Smith FE, Slobodkin LB (1960) Community structure, population control, and competition.Am Nat 94: 421–425
Halaj J, Wise DH (2001) Terrestrial trophic cascades: how much do they trickle? Am Nat 157: 262–281
Hambäck PA (2001) Direct and indirect effects of herbivory: feeding by spittlebugs affects pollinator visitation rates and seedset of Rudbeckia hirta. Ecoscience 8: 45–50
Harder LD, Barrett SCH (2002) The energy cost of bee pollination for Pontederia cordata (Pontederiaceae). Funct Ecol 6: 226–233
Hector A, Schmid B, Beierkuhnlein C, Caldeira MC, Diemer M, Dimitrakopoulos PG, Finn JA, Freitas H, Giller PS, Good J, Harris R, Högberg P, Huss-Danell K, Joshi J, Jumpponen A, Körner C, Leadley PW, Loreau M, Minns A, Mulder CPH, O’Donovan G, Otway SJ, Pereira JS, Prinz A, Read DJ, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schulze E-D, Siamantziouras A-SD, Spehn EM, Terry AC, Troumbis AY, Woodward FI, Yachi S, Lawton JH (1999) Plant diversity and productivity experiments in European grasslands. Science 286: 1123–1127
Honkanen T, Haukioja E (1998) Intra-plant regulation of growth and plant–herbivore interactions. Ecoscience 5: 470–479
Hooper DU, Vitousek PM (1997) The effects of plant composition and diversity on ecosystem processes. Science 277: 1302–1305
Howe HF, Smallwood J (1982) Ecology of seed dispersal. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 13: 201–228
Huntly N (1991) Herbivores and the dynamics of communities and ecosystems. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 22: 477–503
Hutchinson KJ, King KL (1982) Invertebrates and nutrient cycling. In: Lee KE (ed) Proc 3rd Australasian Conf on Grassland Invertebrate Ecology, Adelaide, 30 Nov–4 Dec 1981. SA Government Printer, Adelaide, pp 331–338
Hutson BR (1989) The role of fauna in nutrient turnover. In: Majer JD (ed) Animals in primary succession. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Irwin RE, Brody AK, Waser NM (2001) The impact of floral larceny on individuals, populations, and communities. Oecologia 129: 161–168
Johnson SN, Mayhew PJ, Douglas AE, Hartley SE (2002) Insects as leaf engineers: can leaf-miners alter leaf structure for birch aphids? Funct Ecol 16: 575–584
Jones CG, Lawton JH (eds) (1995) Linking species and ecosystems. Chapman and Hall, New York
Karban R, Baldwin IT (1997) Induced responses to herbivory. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Kessler A, Baldwin IT (2001) Defensive function of herbivore-induced plant volatile emissions in nature. Science 291: 2141–2144
Khan ML, Tripathi RS (1991) Seedling survival and growth of early and late successional tree species as affected by insect herbivory and pathogen attack in sub-tropical humid forest stands of north-east India. Acta Ecol 12: 569–579
Kinzig AP, Pacala SW, Tilman D (eds) (1991) The functional consequences of biodiversity. Princeton University Press, Princeton
Kosola KR, Dickmann DI, Paul EA, Parry D (2001) Repeated insect defoliation effects on growth, nitrogen acquisition, carbohydrates, and root demography of poplars. Oecologia 129: 65–74
Lamb D (1985) The influence of insects on nutrient cycling in eucalypt forests: a beneficial role? Aust J Ecol 10: 1–5
Lee KE (1979) The role of invertebrates in nutrient cycling and energy flow in grasslands. In: ( Crosby TK, Pottinger RP (eds) Proc 2nd Australian Conf on Grassland Invertebrate Ecology. Government Printer, Wellington, pp 26–29
Lee KE, Wood TG (1971) Termites and soil. Academic Press, London
Lerdau M (1996) Insects and ecosystem function. TREE 11: 151–152
Lewinsohn TM, Price PW (1996) Diversity of herbivorous insects and ecosystem processes. In: Solbrig OT, Medina E, Silva JF (eds) Biodiversity and savanna ecosystem processes. Ecological studies, vol 121. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 143–157
Lightfoot DC, Whitford WG (1990) Phytophagous insects enhance nitrogen flux in a desert creosotebush community. Oecologia 82: 18–25
Likens GE (1992) The ecosystem approach: its use and abuse. Ecology Institute, Oldendorf, Germany
Likens GE, Bormann FH, Pierce RS, Eaton JS, Johnson NM (1977) Biogeochemistry of a forested ecosystem. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Loreau M, Naeem S, Inchausti P, Bengtsson J, Grime JP, Hector A, Hooper DU, Huston MA, Raffaelli DG, Schmid B, Tilman D, Wardle DA (2001) Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: current knowledge and future challenges. Science 294: 804–808
Loreau M, Naeem S, Inchausti P (eds) (2002) Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Louda SM, Keeler KH, Holt RD (1990) Herbivore influences on plant performance and competitive interactions. In: Grace JB, Tilman D (eds) Perspectives on plant competition. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 413–444
Lovett GM, Ruesink AE (1995) Carbon and nitrogen mineralization from decomposing gypsy moth frass. Oecologia 104: 133–138
Lovett GM, Christenson LM, Groffman PM, Jones CG, Hart JE, Mitchell MJ (2002) Insect defoliation and nitrogen cycling in forests. Bioscience 52: 335–341
Marquis RJ (1996) Plant architecture, sectoriality and plant tolerance to herbivores. Vegetatio 127: 85–97
Mattson WJ, Addy ND (1975) Phytophagous insects as regulators of forest primary production. Science 190: 515–522
McCullough DG, Werner RA (1998) Fire and insects in northern and boreal forest ecosystems of North America. Annu Rev Entomol 43: 107–127
McGrady-Steed J, Harris PM, Morin PJ (1997) Biodiversity regulates ecosystem predictability. Nature (Lond) 390: 162–165
McNaughton SJ (1993) Biodiversity and function of grazing ecosystems. In: Schulze E-D, Mooney HA (eds) Biodiversity and ecosystem function. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Mitchell CE (2003) Trophic control of grassland production and biomass by pathogens. Ecol Lett 6: 147–155
Montoya JM, Rodriguez MA, Hawkins BA (2003) Food web complexity and higher-level ecosystem services. Ecol Lett 6: 587–593
Mooney HA (199 1) Emergence of the study of global ecology. Is terrestrial ecology an impediment to progress? Ecol Appl 1: 2–5
Mulder CPH, Koricheva J, Huss-Danell K, Högberg P, Joshi J (1999) Insects affect relationships between plant species richness and ecosystem processes. Ecol Lett 2: 237–246
Naeem S, Li S (1997) Biodiversity enhances ecosystem reliability. Nature (Lond) 390: 507–509
Naeem S, Thompson LJ, Lawler JH, Lawton JH, Woodfin RM (1994) Declining biodiversity can alter the performance of ecosystems. Nature (Lond) 368: 734–737
Odum EP (1953) Fundamentals of ecology.WB Saunders, Philadelphia
Petrusewicz K (ed) (1967) Secondary productivity of terrestrial ecosystems (principles and methods), vol II. Panstwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Warszawa, Poland
Polis GA (1999) Why are parts of the world green? Multiple factors control productivity and the distribution of biomass. Oikos 86: 3–15
Price PW (1997) Insect ecology. Wiley, New York
Sallabanks R, Courtney SP (1992) Frugivory, seed predation, and insect–vertebrate interactions. Annu Rev Entomol 37: 377–400
Schmitz OJ (2003) Top predator control of plant biodiversity and productivity in an old-field ecosystem. Ecol Lett 6: 156–163
Schmitz OJ, Hambäck PA, Beckerman AP (2000) Trophic cascades in terrestrial systems: a review of the effects of carnivore removals on plants.Am Nat 155: 141–153
Schowalter TD (2000a) Insect ecology: an ecosystem approach. Academic Press, SanDiego
Schowalter TD (2000b) Insects as regulators of ecosystem development. In: Colema PC, Hendrix PF (eds) Invertebrates as webmaster in ecosystem. CAB International, Wallingford, UK, pp 99–114
Schowalter TD, Hargrove WW, Crossley JDA (1986) Herbivory in forested ecosystems. Annu Rev Entomol 186: 177–196
Schulze ED, Mooney HA (eds) (1993) Biodiversity and ecosystem function. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Seastedt TR, Crossley DAJ (1984) The influence of arthropods on ecosystems. Bioscience 34: 157–161
Stadler B, Solinger S, Michalzik B (2001) Insect herbivores and the nutrient flow from the canopy to the soil in coniferous and deciduous forests. Oecologia 126: 104–113
Stork NE (1988) Insect diversity: facts, fiction and speculation. Biol J Linn Soc 35: 321–337
Stowe KA, Marquis RJ, Hochwender CG, Simms EL (2000) The evolutionary ecology of tolerance to consumer damage. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 31: 565–595
Strauss SY, Agrawal AA, Strand MR (1999) The ecology and evolution of plant tolerance to herbivory. TREE 14: 179–185
Tilman D, Downing JA (1994) Biodiversity and stability in grasslands. Nature (Lond) 367: 363–365
Tilman D, Wedin D, Knops J (1996) Productivity and sustainability influenced by biodiversity in grassland ecosystems. Nature (Lond) 379: 718–720
Tilman D, Knops J, Wedin D, Reich P, Ritchie M, Siemann E (1997) The influence of functional diversity and composition on ecosystem processes. Science 277: 1300–1302
Trumble JT, Kolodny-Hirsch DM, Ting IP (1993) Plant compensation for arthropod herbivory. Annu Rev Entomol 38: 93–119
Turlings TCJ, Tumlinson JH, Lewis WJ (1990) Exploitation of herbivore-induced plant odors by host-seeking parasitic wasps. Science 250: 1251–1253
Urbanek RP (1988) The influence of fauna on plant productivity. In: Majer JD (ed) Ani- mals in primary succession. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 71–106
van der Heijden MGA, Klironomos JN, Ursic M, Moutoglis P, Streitwolf-Engel R, Boller T, Wiemken A, Sanders IR (1998) Mycorrhizal fungal diversity determines plant biodiversity, ecosystem variability and productivity. Nature (Lond) 396: 69–72
Wallace JB, Webster JR (1996) The role of macroinvertebrates in stream ecosystem function. Annu Rev Entomol 41: 115–139
Wardle DA (2002) Communities and ecosystems: linking the above-and belowground components. Princeton University Press, Princeton
Whelan RJ (1989) The influence of fauna on plant species composition. In: Majer JD (ed) Animals in primary succession. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 107–143
Wiegert RG, Evans FC (1967) Investigations of secondary productivity in grasslands. In: Petrusewicz K (ed) Secondary productivity of terrestrial ecosystems (principles and methods), vol 1. Panstwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Warszawa, Krakow, pp 499–518
Wilson EO (ed) (1988) Biodiversity. National Academy Press, Washington
Willson MF (1992) The ecology of seed dispersal. CAB International, Wallingford, UK
Zlotin RI, Khodashova KS (1980) The role of animals in biological cycling of foreststeppe ecosystems. Dowden, Hutchinson and Ross., Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Weisser, W.W., Siemann, E. (2008). The Various Effects of Insects on Ecosystem Functioning. In: Weisser, W.W., Siemann, E. (eds) Insects and Ecosystem Function. Ecological Studies, vol 173. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74004-9_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74004-9_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-74003-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-74004-9
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)