Current knowledge and future challenges of aboveground and belowground community ecology

This final chapter briefly summarizes main points clarified by the preceding chapters to capture what we have learned and then highlight key issues for new challenges for the research field of aboveground-belowground community ecology. The reviews and syntheses covered in this book highlight several key issues for exciting challenges in promoting future research in this field. Specifically, these challenges involve (1) strengthening the evolutionary perspective, (2) scaling-up to community and ecosystem level, and (3) developing applied solutions for global problems. These critical issues, which previous studies have little considered, will undoubtedly enhance the perspectives for further development of the research field of aboveground-belowground community ecology.