Insect herbivory reshapes rhizosphere bacterial and fungal networks in a stage-specific manner

. Fungal responses were stage contingent: fermentative yeasts before flowering and saprotrophic or opportunistic genera after flowering. Co-occurrence networks under both injuries exhibited more positive correlations, with herbivory enhancing bacteria-fungi connectivity. Functional inference showed strong, stage-dependent restructuring: symbiotroph and endophyte guilds clustered at flowering, and post-flowering communities were enriched for hydrogenotrophy, nitrogen fixation, and pathogen/pathotroph functions. Herbivory further elevated inferred chemotrophy, fermentation, and nitrate reduction, whereas mechanical injury reduced chemotrophy, saprotroph abundance, and nitrate-reducing functions. Together, these results indicate that insect herbivory is a biologically distinct disturbance that reorganizes rhizosphere communities and interaction networks in a phenology-dependent manner, underscoring aboveground-belowground linkages with implications for crop resistance and productivity. IMPORTANCE: before, during, and after flowering and compared these plants to those with mechanical damage. We found that insect feeding, not just injury, acts as a distinct disturbance that reorganizes the root‑zone microbial community in stage‑specific ways. It altered which microbes were present and how they interacted, strengthening links between bacteria and fungi and shifting likely nutrient and defense functions. These results reveal strong connections between aboveground attack and belowground life, with practical implications for breeding and managing crops for resilience and productivity.