INVERTEBRATES AS WEBMASTERS IN ECOSYSTEMS

Invertebrates are conspicuous, influential components in all of the ecosystems of the world. Assemblages of invertebrates assume an organizing function and hence may be considered as "webmasters" in these ecosystems. This book reviews and assesses our current understanding of invertebrates in terrestrial and terrestrially-dominated (lower-order stream) ecosystems. It emphasizes the centrality of the activity of invertebrates, which influence ecosystem function far out of proportion to their physical mass in a wide range of situations, particularly at the interface between land and air (litter/soil), water and land (sediments) and in tree canopies and root/soil systems.