Abstract
Recent studies have revealed many potential benefits of increasing plant diversity in natural ecosystems, as well as in agroecosystems and production forests. Plant diversity potentially provides a partial to complete substitute for many costly agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers, pesticides, imported pollinators and irrigation. Diversification strategies include enhancing crop genetic diversity, mixed plantings, rotating crops, agroforestry and diversifying landscapes surrounding croplands. Here we briefly review studies considering how increasing plant diversity influences the production of crops, forage, and wood, yield stability, and several regulating and supporting agroecosystem services. We also discuss challenges and recommendations for diversifying agroecosystems. There is consistently strong evidence that strategically increasing plant diversity increases crop and forage yield, wood production, yield stability, pollinators, weed suppression and pest suppression, whereas effects of diversification on soil nutrients and carbon remain poorly understood. Synthesis. The benefits of diversifying agroecosystems are expected to be greatest where the aims are to sustainably intensify production while reducing conventional inputs or to optimize both yields and ecosystem services. Over the next few decades, as monoculture yields continue to decelerate or decline for many crops, and as demand for ecosystem services continues to rise, diversification could become an essential tool for sustaining production and ecosystem services in croplands, rangelands and production forests.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 871-879 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Ecology |
| Volume | 105 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 1 2017 |
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Keywords
- agroecology
- biodiversity
- ecosystem functioning
- ecosystem services
- ecosystem stability
- productivity
- yield
Cite this
Benefits of increasing plant diversity in sustainable agroecosystems. / Isbell, Forest; Adler, Paul R.; Eisenhauer, Nico; Fornara, Dario; Kimmel, Kaitlin; Kremen, Claire; Letourneau, Deborah K.; Liebman, Matt; Polley, H. Wayne; Quijas, Sandra; Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael.
In: Journal of Ecology, Vol. 105, No. 4, 01.07.2017, p. 871-879.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Benefits of increasing plant diversity in sustainable agroecosystems
AU - Isbell, Forest
AU - Adler, Paul R.
AU - Eisenhauer, Nico
AU - Fornara, Dario
AU - Kimmel, Kaitlin
AU - Kremen, Claire
AU - Letourneau, Deborah K.
AU - Liebman, Matt
AU - Polley, H. Wayne
AU - Quijas, Sandra
AU - Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael
PY - 2017/7/1
Y1 - 2017/7/1
N2 - Recent studies have revealed many potential benefits of increasing plant diversity in natural ecosystems, as well as in agroecosystems and production forests. Plant diversity potentially provides a partial to complete substitute for many costly agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers, pesticides, imported pollinators and irrigation. Diversification strategies include enhancing crop genetic diversity, mixed plantings, rotating crops, agroforestry and diversifying landscapes surrounding croplands. Here we briefly review studies considering how increasing plant diversity influences the production of crops, forage, and wood, yield stability, and several regulating and supporting agroecosystem services. We also discuss challenges and recommendations for diversifying agroecosystems. There is consistently strong evidence that strategically increasing plant diversity increases crop and forage yield, wood production, yield stability, pollinators, weed suppression and pest suppression, whereas effects of diversification on soil nutrients and carbon remain poorly understood. Synthesis. The benefits of diversifying agroecosystems are expected to be greatest where the aims are to sustainably intensify production while reducing conventional inputs or to optimize both yields and ecosystem services. Over the next few decades, as monoculture yields continue to decelerate or decline for many crops, and as demand for ecosystem services continues to rise, diversification could become an essential tool for sustaining production and ecosystem services in croplands, rangelands and production forests.
AB - Recent studies have revealed many potential benefits of increasing plant diversity in natural ecosystems, as well as in agroecosystems and production forests. Plant diversity potentially provides a partial to complete substitute for many costly agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers, pesticides, imported pollinators and irrigation. Diversification strategies include enhancing crop genetic diversity, mixed plantings, rotating crops, agroforestry and diversifying landscapes surrounding croplands. Here we briefly review studies considering how increasing plant diversity influences the production of crops, forage, and wood, yield stability, and several regulating and supporting agroecosystem services. We also discuss challenges and recommendations for diversifying agroecosystems. There is consistently strong evidence that strategically increasing plant diversity increases crop and forage yield, wood production, yield stability, pollinators, weed suppression and pest suppression, whereas effects of diversification on soil nutrients and carbon remain poorly understood. Synthesis. The benefits of diversifying agroecosystems are expected to be greatest where the aims are to sustainably intensify production while reducing conventional inputs or to optimize both yields and ecosystem services. Over the next few decades, as monoculture yields continue to decelerate or decline for many crops, and as demand for ecosystem services continues to rise, diversification could become an essential tool for sustaining production and ecosystem services in croplands, rangelands and production forests.
KW - agroecology
KW - biodiversity
KW - ecosystem functioning
KW - ecosystem services
KW - ecosystem stability
KW - productivity
KW - yield
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85020872285&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85020872285&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/1365-2745.12789
DO - 10.1111/1365-2745.12789
M3 - Review article
VL - 105
SP - 871
EP - 879
JO - Journal of Ecology
JF - Journal of Ecology
SN - 0022-0477
IS - 4
ER -