Ecological Communities: Plant Mediation in Indirect Interaction Webs

Description

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 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 Ecology