Insect community conservation and restoration have been
identified as important yet difficult tasks (Arenz & Joern,
1996). This manuscript aims to address some of the difficulties
associated with insect conservation and restoration by identifying
the potential contribution of soil community composition
and diversity to insect composition and diversity. Here, it is
discussed that feedbacks between insect diversity and plant
diversity contribute to diversity in both groups whereas feedbacks
between soil diversity and composition and plant
diversity contribute to diversity in both the soil and plant communities.
Finally, it is hypothesised that these two feedback
loops are linked such that soilmicrobial communities contribute
to insect diversity via plant diversity, and vice versa, and the
maintenance of these feedback loops between soil microbes,
plants and insects affects insect diversity. These linked feedback
loops have consequences for insect conservation and restoration.