Fear and below-ground food-webs

Predator induced trait mediated indirect interactions (TMIIs) are likely the dominant facet of trophic interactions in aboveground food-webs. New research is beginning to show that TMIIs are also important in revealing how soil food-webs (SFWs) regulate biogeochemical processes. We suggest that TMIIs can modify SFW functions by (a) regulating the quantity and nutritional quality of plants and animal production known to drive the SFW, (b) inducing defense phenotypes in soil-organisms, and (c) changing soil environmental conditions. Currently, very few studies have explored the role TMIIs play in shaping SFW functions, especially the cascading effects on SFW dynamics. Much theoretical and empirical research is needed before we can successfully incorporate the non-consumptive effects of predation into SFW models.