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'.

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.

From the reviews: "The authors of this book have identified an important and novel area of research … . I would recommend this book for students and researchers who wish to be introduced to the current research and future ideas regarding above and below ground insect herbivory, and the effect on plant community ecology, plant productivity and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems." (Riccardo Bommmarco, Basic and Applied Ecology, Issue 8, 2007)