A global synthesis reveals biodiversity-mediated benefits for crop production

Dainese M,  Martin EA, Aizen MA, Albrecht M, Bartomeus I, Bommarco R, ...,Rusch A, ..., Steffan-Dewenter I (2019) 

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.

Science Advances, 5 (10) eaax0121 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax0121