Preface

There is rapidly increasing appreciation of the community consequences of trait-mediated indirect effects in various ecosystems. Nevertheless, we know little about the underlying mechanisms. This book highlights the plant trait responses to herbivores as the mechanistic basis of plant-mediated indirect effects that are ubiquitous in terrestrial systems. Recent development of research on plant-herbivore interactions has revealed that herbivore-induced trait modification, such as defensive chemicals, nutritional status, and subsequent growth, is very common and widespread in terrestrial plants. Modification of plants in ways other than the simple removal of tissue can have complex impacts on not only other herbivores but also higher trophic levels through bottom-up cascades. Thus, the structure and biodiversity of plant-based terrestrial communities can be strongly influenced by the herbivore-initiated interaction linkages. This book represents the first major synthesis to integrate information on how trait-mediated indirect effects structure ecological communities through changes in plant traits in terrestrial systems. This book is based on a symposium entitled “The impact of trait-mediated indirect effects of plants on the structure of herbivorous insect communities,” which was held in Brisbane, Australia, at the International Congress of Entomology in August 2004. The symposium brought together a collection of contributors well qualified to evaluate and expand our understanding of how trait-mediated indirect effects of terrestrial plants structure ecological communities from the bottom up. We also invited authors who did not attend the conference to submit chapters in their fields of expertise in order to offer a broader view of the field.