In this review, Bardgett et al. identify the mechanisms by which foliar herbivory may indirectly affect the soil biota and associated below-ground processes through affecting plants. The authors demonstrate that the effects of herbivory on soil organisms, through alterations of the quality and quantity of organic matter input, can be extremely important. These effects may be either short-term, simply through the consequence of shifts in non-detrital inputs from root exudates, or longer term, through: (a) alteration of the below-ground biomass and net primary production, (b) of the quality of plant litter input and (c) of the composition of the plant community. These mechanisms may result in either positive or negative effects on soil organisms through herbivory. It is very difficult to predict precisely how the soil food-web may respond to foliar herbivory in a given situation. This is further confounded by the complex nature of feeding relationships in the decomposer subsystem, as well as the complex interplay of top-down and bottom-up forces in soil food-webs. Such information is essential in developing a balanced understanding about how herbivory affects ecosystem function.
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