Biological diversity stabilizes species interactions

The decline in biodiversity and the associated loss of plant species are greatly affecting ecosystems. Thus far, this has been shown by studies in the so-called grasslands, i.e. in areas that are not covered by buildings or are dominated by woody vegetation. A team of biologists from the University of Freiburg has now been able to show that the loss of tree species in forests destabilizes insect communities and their interactions with each other and with plants. Tree diversity in forests is therefore important for stabilizing the insects' food webs. They present their results in the current issue of the international journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

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