Plants that receive volatiles emitted by other plants infested herbivorous arthropods induce defense against herbivores. This interaction is known as plant–plant communication. Although most of studies reported plant–plant communication via airborne cues, few studies described the communication in below–ground. Plants induce physical and chemical defense against herbivores. However, the knowledge of plant–plant communication on plant physical traits is poor. In this study, we tested the roles of above– and below–ground pathways of conspecific communication on herbivore damage and physical and chemical defense against herbivores. We conducted a field experiment that a focal plant received airborne, soilborne, and both cues emitted by a neighbor with clipped leaves, using Quercus crispula and Q. glauca. As results, plants that did not receive any cues by neighbor plants with damaged leaves increased damaged leaves than plants that received airborne cues. Functional data analyses indicated that temporal changes of herbivore damage depended on receiving airborne cues. Furthermore, in both plant species receiving soilborne cues, temporal changes of herbivore damage were different from plants receiving airborne cues and plant did not receive any cues by neighbor plants with damage leaves. These findings indicate that the roles of airborne and soilborne cues have different impacts on herbivore damage. Hardness of leaves was higher in plants that did not connect with neighbors in below–ground. Effects of communication pathways on chemical defense were different between two plant species. These results suggested that roles of airborne and soilborne cues on plant defense also depended on plant species.