Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026
10:20
Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
Published on: March 12, 2013
Top-down effects dominate the relationship between plant-herbivorous insect interactions and ecosystem stability
Yin Wang1, Qianqian Qin2, Jian Feng3,4
1Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Hebei Collaborative Innovation Center for Eco-Environment, Hebei Research Center of the Basic Discipline of Cell Biology, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China. wangyin@hebtu.edu.cn.
Nature Ecology & Evolution
|June 23, 2026
Summary
Ecosystem stability relies on food web interactions. This study found that top-down effects from plant-herbivore interactions, like network modularity, significantly enhance drought resistance, crucial for ecosystem stability under climate change.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Ecosystem Dynamics
- Food Web Interactions
Background:
- Consumptive interactions are vital for ecosystem stability, yet empirical links between trophic interactions and stability are scarce.
- Previous research explored diversity-stability but lacked large-scale, interaction-focused evidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between trophic interactions and ecosystem stability (resistance and resilience) across diverse plant-herbivore networks.
- To assess how network properties influence ecosystem stability under drought and wet conditions.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed 430 plant-herbivorous insect networks from temperate and tropical regions.
- Quantified interaction indicators (e.g., diversity, modularity, robustness) and measured ecosystem resistance and resilience to drought and wet events.
Main Results:
- Plant diversity correlated with drought resistance but reduced resilience; these effects diminished with covariate adjustments.
- Network modularity enhanced drought resistance, while robustness decreased resilience, though these patterns varied by ecosystem type.
- No significant link was found between diversity/interaction indicators and stability during wet events.
- The top-down pathway (trophic interactions influencing stability) was stronger than the bottom-up pathway.
Conclusions:
- Top-down effects from plant-herbivore interactions play a dominant role in ecosystem stability, particularly drought resistance, under climate change.
- Network structure, such as modularity, is a key predictor of ecosystem stability in the face of environmental disturbances.
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