Global change-driven modulation of bottom-up forces and cascading effects on biocontrol services

Abstract

Abiotic and biotic factors affect plants in various ways which in turn affect associated arthropod communities through direct and/or indirect bottom-up interactions. Several review articles have synthesized studies examining the indirect effects of abiotic factors on plant-arthropod interactions, mainly focusing on soil nitrogen, soil water status, and climate change. However, these studies have mostly focused on bitrophic interactions, whereas most ecological systems are composed of at least three trophic levels. Lately, research on plant-mediated multitrophic interactions in plant-arthropod food web has received increasing interest. Both the intensification of agriculture and the global climate change have the potential to trigger bottom-up effects that cascade through trophic links. In this review article, we synthesize the most recent studies describing how abiotic changes could modulate plant-mediated bottom-up forces and how it could affect arthropod communities and associated biocontrol services. We discuss potential for increasing the sustainability of managed and natural ecosystems, and highlight road maps for future studies.