Functional diversity of ground beetles improved aphid control but did not increase crop yields on European farms.

ABSTRACT: Land-use intensification is often associated with a decline in functional diversity, potentially undermining the provision of ecosystem services. However, how changes in traits affect ecosystem processes remains poorly understood. Variation in trait values among species in a community may drive ecosystem processes. Alternatively, the mass ratio hypothesis proposes that trait values of the dominant species in a local community are related to ecosystem processes. Using data from 159 farms in six European countries, we quantified the impact of local and landscape-level land-use intensity on ground beetles as pest control agents. We then assessed the extent to which functional diversity and community-weighted mean trait values relate to pest control and cereal yield. In addition, we assessed h

SUBMITTER: Bucher R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11610661 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature