Impacts of Agricultural Landscape Diversity on Pest Regulation and Crop Productivity: A Multi-Scale Study in Temperate Agroecosystems

Abstract:

Agricultural landscape simplification has significantly altered pest regulation services and crop productivity, posing challenges to sustainable agriculture. This study investigated the effects of landscape diversity (including semi-natural habitat cover, crop diversity, and landscape configuration) on pest abundance, natural enemy communities, and wheat productivity across 60 temperate agroecosystems in four countries (Denmark, Japan, Spain, and China). Results showed that semi-natural habitat cover (≥15%) enhanced natural enemy richness by 32% and reduced pest abundance by 27% compared to simplified landscapes. Crop diversity significantly improved pest regulation efficiency, with a 21% lower pest load in mixed-crop landscapes. Landscape configuration (e.g., patch connectivity) also played a critical role, as connected semi-natural habitats increased natural enemy dispersal by 40%. Structural equation modeling revealed that landscape diversity indirectly improved crop productivity (18% yield increase) by enhancing pest regulation services. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining and restoring landscape diversity for sustainable pest management and food security in temperate agroecosystems.