A global synthesis reveals biodiversity-mediated benefits for crop production

authored by

Matteo Dainese, Emily A. Martin, Marcelo A. Aizen, Matthias Albrecht, Ignasi Bartomeus, Riccardo Bommarco, Luisa G. Carvalheiro, Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer, Vesna Gagic, Lucas A. Garibaldi, Jaboury Ghazoul, Heather Grab, Mattias Jonsson, Daniel S. Karp, Christina M. Kennedy, David Kleijn, Claire Kremen, Douglas A. Landis, Deborah K. Letourneau, Lorenzo Marini, Katja Poveda, Romina Rader, Henrik G. Smith, Teja Tscharntke, Georg K. S. Andersson, Isabelle Badenhausser, Svenja Baensch, Antonio Diego M. Bezerra, Felix J. J. A. Bianchi, Virginie Boreux, Vincent Bretagnolle, Berta Caballero-Lopez, Pablo Cavigliasso, Aleksandar Ćetković, Natacha P. Chacoff, Alice Classen, Sarah Cusser, Felipe D. da Silva e Silva, G. Arjen de Groot, Jan H. Dudenhöffer, Johan Ekroos, Thijs Fijen, Pierre Franck, Breno M. Freitas, Michael P. D. Garratt, Claudio Gratton, Juliana Hipólito, Andrea Holzschuh, Lauren Hunt, Aaron L. Iverson

Abstract

Human land use threatens global biodiversity and compromises multiple ecosystem functions critical to food production. Whether crop yield-related ecosystem services can be maintained by a few dominant species or rely on high richness remains unclear. Using a global database from 89 studies (with 1475 locations), we partition the relative importance of species richness, abundance, and dominance for pollination; biological pest control; and final yields in the context of ongoing land-use change. Pollinator and enemy richness directly supported ecosystem services in addition to and independent of abundance and dominance. Up to 50% of the negative effects of landscape simplification on ecosystem services was due to richness losses of service-providing organisms, with negative consequences for crop yields. Maintaining the biodiversity of ecosystem service providers is therefore vital to sustain the flow of key agroecosystem benefits to society.

External Organisation(s)

Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg

Type

Article

Journal

Science advances

Volume

5

ISSN

2375-2548

Publication date

16.10.2019

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 2 - Zero Hunger, SDG 15 - Life on Land, SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being, SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax0121 (Access: Unknown)