Root Feeders

Interactions between plants and herbivores can have a significant effect on plant growth and development, and ultimately, on a plant's economic value. Research has traditionally focused on aboveground herbivores, despite the considerable role that belowground herbivory by both vertebrates and invertebrates can play within a range of ecosystem processes. Root feeders have been classified as agricultural pests but can also be used as biological control agents against invasive species and can affect community dynamics of plants, soil micro-organisms and populations of aboveground organisms. Bringing together a broad range of viewpoints and approaches, Root Feeders presents a comprehensive review of knowledge on root herbivores and illustrates their importance within ecosystems. Chapters discuss problems of visualizing the organisms in the soil, their role in agriculture, grassland and forest ecosystems, and present specific case studies on the management, control and influence of root feeders. Covering all aspects from food web ecology to the effects of climate change, this will be valuable reading for researchers and professionals in agricultural entomology, plant science, ecology and soil science.

“"This book serves as an introduction to a breadth of topics covered under the realm of root herbivory, including interactions in different ecosystems, linkages of aboveground and belowground ecology, biocontrol of invasives, and the effects of climate change. The book is a good starting point as a reference for graduate students or researchers seeking exploration into root-invertebrate interactions." --Journal of Environmental Quality "Research on herbivores has been dominated by studies on above-ground interactions and this book aims to partially redress the balance by synthesizing current information on agricultural and ecological aspects of root herbivory. This is a useful and interesting book containing a large amount of information."--Experimental Agriculture "Overall, this is an important book on the much neglected topic of root herbivory and its consequences. It is useful for students but also for researchers. It is encouraging and it gives an excellent overview of the state-of-the-art of this part of the belowground compartment. I also recommend this book to a wider range of terrestrial ecologists; effects of rhizosphere interactions probably reach far into the aboveground system, making this an exciting and potentially integrative field of study."--Journal of Basic Applied Ecology”

"An important book on the much neglected topic or root herbivory and its consequences...It is encouraging and it gives a an excellent overview."--Mark Maraun, Gottingen, Germany (1/1/2009 12:00:00 AM)

Scott N. Johnson Phillip J. Murray

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