Complex interspecific interactions influence the interactions between pest control and pollination in coffee agroecosystems.

Abstract

Ecosystem services mediated by biodiversity are essential for the well-being of human beings. While there is ample research on individual ecosystem services (such as pollination, nutrient cycling), there is now growing recognition to examine the interactions between multiple ecosystem services and their contribution to productivity in order to manage agroecosystems sustainably. In this study, we examined the interactions between pollination and pest control in coffee agroecosystems in Chiapas, Mexico. We tested how management of shade trees, particularly of nitrogen-fixing shade trees, at the farm scale mediated the outcome of the interactions between two ES. We found that there was no trade-off between pest control and pollination services despite the deterrence of pollinators by the dominant and aggressive ant species, Azteca sericeasur, which also controls the coffee berry borer, a major pest of Coffea arabica. We found additive effects of pest-control and pollination on early fruit set and fruit weight of coffee plants. Proximity to nitrogen-fixing shade trees had indirect effects on pest-control via the reduction of Azteca sericeasur activity on the coffee bushes. These findings highlight that ecosystem services are a result of complex interspecific interactions and that biodiversity-friendly management practices can promote favorable outcomes of these interactions on coffee yield.