A global synthesis reveals biodiversity-mediated benefits for crop production
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 147...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
American Association for the Advancement of Science
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/10986 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aax0121 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax0121 |
| Summary: | 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. |
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