Predators control pests and increase yield across crop types and climates: a meta-analysis.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Ecology
• Climate Science

Background:

• Pesticides pose risks to ecosystems and human health.
• Biological control using natural predators offers an alternative pest management strategy.
• Climate change introduces uncertainty regarding the efficacy of biological control.

Approach:

• Conducted a meta-analysis of field studies on natural predators and pest control.
• Assessed the impact of single versus multiple predator species on pest suppression.
• Investigated the influence of climatic factors, particularly precipitation seasonality, on biological control effectiveness.

Key Points:

• Natural predators reduced pest populations by an average of 73% and increased crop yields by 25%.
• The effectiveness of predators did not differ between single-species and multiple-species introductions.
• Increased precipitation seasonality positively correlated with enhanced predator efficacy in pest control.

Conclusions:

• Biological control by natural predators is a robust strategy for pest management and food security.
• Predator efficacy is resilient to variations in predator diversity.
• Climate variability, specifically precipitation patterns, influences biological control outcomes, highlighting its potential role in adaptive agriculture.