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

Publication Type

Journal Article

Journal Name

Science Advances

Name of Author

• Nian Feng Wan, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology
• Muyao Li, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology
• Siyuan Shen, School of Life Sciences Fudan University
• Jun Xiang Zhou, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology
• Yu Tong Zhu, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology
• Ben A. Woodcock, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
• Yue Qing Hu, School of Life Sciences Fudan University
• Shinichi Nakagawa, University of Alberta
• David Tilman, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Andy Hector, University of Oxford
• Michel Loreau, Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale
• Peter B. Reich, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences
• Matteo Dainese, Università degli Studi di Verona
• Forest Isbell, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Bernhard Schmid, Universität Zürich
• Kris A.G. Wyckhuys, chrysalis consulting
• Geoff M. Gurr, Charles Sturt University
• Linsheng Wan, Jiangsu Coastal Area Institute of Agricultural Sciences
• Nico Eisenhauer, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
• Yann Hautier, Universiteit Utrecht
• Anu Eskelinen, Oulun Yliopisto
• Richard D. Bardgett, Lancaster Environment Centre
• Paul Kardol, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
• Lauchlan H. Fraser, Thompson Rivers University
• Qi Su, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
• Shiyun Qiu, Shanghai Wildlife and Protected Natural Areas Research Center
• Yavanna Aartsma, Wageningen University & Research
• Ramon Albajes, Universitat de Lleida
• Matthias Albrecht, Agroscope

Publication Date

7-23-2026

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.

Keywords

croplands, grasslands, forests

PubMed ID

42490425

Recommended Citation

Wan, N., Li, M., Shen, S., Zhou, J., Zhu, Y., Woodcock, B., Hu, Y., Nakagawa, S., Tilman, D., Hector, A., Loreau, M., Reich, P., Dainese, M., Isbell, F., Schmid, B., Wyckhuys, K., Gurr, G., Wan, L., Eisenhauer, N., Hautier, Y., Eskelinen, A., Bardgett, R., Kardol, P., Fraser, L., Su, Q., Qiu, S., Aartsma, Y., Albajes, R., & Albrecht, M. (2026). Plant diversity modifies multi-trophic interactions in croplands, grasslands and forests. Science Advances, 12 (30) https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb8680

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.