Journal
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
Volume 105, Issue 4, Pages 871-879Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.12789
Keywords
agroecology; biodiversity; ecosystem functioning; ecosystem services; ecosystem stability; productivity; yield
Categories
Funding
- National Science Foundation (NSF-LTER Award) [1234162]
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) [FOR 456, FOR 1451]
- German Research Foundation [FZT 118]
- European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) [265171]
- Direct For Biological Sciences
- Division Of Environmental Biology [1234162] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Environmental Biology
- Direct For Biological Sciences [1242531] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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1. 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. 2. 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. 3. 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. 4. 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, range-lands and production forests.
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