Plant diversity modifies multi-trophic interactions in croplands, grasslands and forests

Multitrophic interactions can strongly influence the structure and functioning of ecosystems, but how plant diversity influences the direction and predictability of multitrophic interactions across agricultural and natural ecosystems remains unclear. Using 149 field studies across five continents, we found that, on average, increasing plant diversity tended to exert differential top-down and bottom-up effects in croplands versus grasslands and forests. Organic and nonorganic croplands exhibited 846 and 148% higher invertebrate natural enemy-to-herbivore abundance ratios under increased plant diversity, consistent with top-down control patterns where predator gains cause herbivore declines, enhancing crop outcomes. In grasslands and forests, increasing plant diversity was associated with bottom-up effects where enhanced productivity increased both herbivore and predator populations, with the enemy-to-herbivore ratio increasing 4.73% for grasslands and 21.2% for forests. Our findings suggest that biodiversity effects on productivity are not solely explained by direct plant-plant interactions and the resulting biodiversity-productivity relationship. Rather, they reveal patterns consistent with the framework of top-down and bottom-up effects, the relative balance of which may vary depending on ecosystem and management type. The magnitude of the effects of diversified farming on crop pests suggests that crop diversification may be an important avenue for managing crop pests preventatively and thereby enhancing agricultural sustainability.

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Publication Details

Journal
Science Advances
Published
2026-07-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb8680
Primary Topic
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Plant diversity modifies multi-trophic interactions in croplands, grasslands and forests

Shiyun Qiu, Stine Kramer Jacobsen, Frank Yonghong Li, Séverin Hatt et al.
Science Advances
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
article

Plant diversity modifies multi-trophic interactions in croplands, grasslands and forests

Shiyun Qiu, Stine Kramer Jacobsen, Frank Yonghong Li, Séverin Hatt, Paul Kardol, J K Chen, Jing‐Ting Chen, Geoff M. Gurr, Ola Lundin, Zhanfeng Liu, Buntikа А. Butcher, Gianalberto Losapio, Finbarr G. Horgan, Michel Loreau, Simone Cesarz, Lauchlan H. Fraser, Yinzhan Liu, Andy Hector, Hervé Jactel, Dan Bahauddin, Y C Zhu, Nian‐Feng Wan, Lourdes Chamorro, David Tilman, Anthony Joern, Bernhard Schmid, F. S. Ramalho, R. Albajes, Mattias Jonsson, Elisabeth S. Bakker, Luuk Croijmans, Nico Eisenhauer, Yingbin Li, Mu-Yao Li, Chaoxu Li, Yue‐Qing Hu, Stefan Geisen, Anu Eskelinen, Qi Su, Xiaoli Hu, Minoo Heidari Latibari, Margaret Kosmala, Peter B. Reich, Jan C. Axmacher, Agnes W. Kiriga, Anicet G. Dassou, Jana Brandmeier, Thomas Döring, Jun-Xiang Zhou, Francisco Sales Fernandes, Wesley Augusto Conde Godoy, Johannes Heinze, Yavanna Aartsma, Jéssica K. S. Pachú, Fabian A. Boetzl, Gemma Clemente‐Orta, Forest Isbell, Luhui Kuang, Linsheng Wan, Shinichi Nakagawa, Abida Butt, Richard D. Bardgett, Fajun Chen, Kris A. G. Wyckhuys, Yongfei Bai, Matthias Albrecht, Alistair J. Campbell, Sarwan Kumar, Zixuan Huang, Jiliang Liu, Anne Ebeling, Felix J.J.A. Bianchi, Xiaoming Lu, Ben A. Woodcock, Tesfay Gidey, Jingwei Guo, Li‐Lin Chen, Helge Bruelheide, David W. Crowder, Hugo Alejandro Álvarez, Matteo Dainese, Yann Hautier, Péter Batáry, Qi Li, Jushan Liu, Li J, Yi Li, Feng Li, Yuehua Chen, Li Li, M. P. Ali, Quanhui Ma, George E. Heimpel, Siyuan Shen, Corinne Anagonou, Wei-Jia Liu, Chris Helzer, Fengqin Cao, Zhiping Cai, Xiaofei Li
article en

Abstract

Multitrophic interactions can strongly influence the structure and functioning of ecosystems, but how plant diversity influences the direction and predictability of multitrophic interactions across agricultural and natural ecosystems remains unclear. Using 149 field studies across five continents, we found that, on average, increasing plant diversity tended to exert differential top-down and bottom-up effects in croplands versus grasslands and forests. Organic and nonorganic croplands exhibited 846 and 148% higher invertebrate natural enemy-to-herbivore abundance ratios under increased plant diversity, consistent with top-down control patterns where predator gains cause herbivore declines, enhancing crop outcomes. In grasslands and forests, increasing plant diversity was associated with bottom-up effects where enhanced productivity increased both herbivore and predator populations, with the enemy-to-herbivore ratio increasing 4.73% for grasslands and 21.2% for forests. Our findings suggest that biodiversity effects on productivity are not solely explained by direct plant-plant interactions and the resulting biodiversity-productivity relationship. Rather, they reveal patterns consistent with the framework of top-down and bottom-up effects, the relative balance of which may vary depending on ecosystem and management type. The magnitude of the effects of diversified farming on crop pests suggests that crop diversification may be an important avenue for managing crop pests preventatively and thereby enhancing agricultural sustainability.

Science AdvancesVol. 12(30)
Shihezi University (CN), Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CN), University of Verona (IT), Nanjing Agricultural University (CN), Inner Mongolia Agricultural University (CN), University of Copenhagen (DK), The Nature Conservancy (US), CEA CESTA (FR), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Minnesota (US), Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (US), University of Bonn (DE), East China University of Science and Technology (CN), Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (DE), Université de Bordeaux (FR), Charles Sturt University (AU), University of Alberta (CA), University of California, Santa Barbara (US), Universitat de Lleida (ES), Chulalongkorn University (TH), Thompson Rivers University (CA), The University of Queensland (AU), University of St Andrews (GB), International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (KE), University of the Punjab (PK), Universidad de Granada (ES), Henan University (CN), University of Potsdam (DE), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN), Northeast Normal University (CN), University of Milan (IT), Kansas State University (US), Utrecht University (NL), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (BR), Peking University (CN), University of Zurich (CH), Hainan University (CN), Fudan University (CN), Inner Mongolia University (CN), University of Michigan (US), Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (BE), Catholic University of the Maule (CL), German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (DE), Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BD), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE), University of Da Nang (VN), Adigrat University (ET), University of Oxford (GB), Fundação de Estudos Agrários Luiz de Queiroz (BR), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Graduate School Experimental Plant Sciences (NL), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (GB), Institute of Ecology and Botany (HU), Institute for Biodiversity (DE), Peanut Institute (US), Institute of Plant Protection (CN), Amazon Research Foundation (BR), Coconut Research Institute (CN), Institute of Landscape Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK), Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (DE), Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (CN), Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NL), Institute of Applied Ecology (CN), Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (ES), South China Botanical Garden (CN), HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research (HU), National University of Sciences, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics (BJ), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN), Agroscope (CH), UMR BIOdiversity, GEnes & Communities (FR), Healing Foundation (AU), Federal Office for Agriculture (CH), Jilin Agricultural University (CN), Institute of Botany (CN), Station d’Écologie Théorique et Expérimentale (FR), Institute of Zoology (CN), Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (DE), University College London (GB), Mendel University in Brno (CZ), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (CN), Western Sydney University (AU), Lancaster University (GB), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (DE), Universitat de Barcelona (ES), Washington State University (US), Hainan Tropical Ocean University (CN), Nanjing University (CN), Punjab Agricultural University (IN), Wageningen University & Research (NL), Leipzig University (DE), University of Oulu (FI)
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