Although aboveground herbivores are known to affect plant community structure and function, the role of belowground herbivores in plant ecology is not well understood. Conducting research on belowground herbivores is difficult, primarily because of the dense, opaque nature of the soil medium that impedes direct observation belowground. Root herbivory is likely to have an important influence on plant communities because 50–90% of new plant growth is allocated belowground, and the loss of belowground biomass has greater impacts on plants than an equivalent loss of leaves or stems. Belowground herbivores affect plants through both their direct consumption and their indirect effects on decomposer and plant communities.