Diverse food webs deliver up to 70 times more predation, global study finds
A Nature study of more than 300 food webs finds ecosystems with diverse species deliver up to 70 times more predation, aiding pest control and stability.
Photo by K on Pexels
Ecosystems with a diverse range of species can support up to 70 times more predation than species-poor ones, according to a study published in the journal Nature on July 1, 2026. The paper links biodiversity and ecosystem function across more than 300 food webs in oceans, lakes, streams, and soils, and reports that the value of biodiversity lies in the web of interactions between species, not in species counts alone. The work, “Food web complexity underlies biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning,” was led by the University of Waikato in New Zealand and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), with researchers from more than 20 institutions.
The team describes it as the most comprehensive analysis to date of how biodiversity shapes the way whole food webs function, rather than looking at a single group of organisms. The predators studied ranged, in the researchers’ words, “from soil mites to sharks.”
How biodiversity and ecosystem function are linked
The study centres on predation, the rate at which predators consume prey. That process helps regulate populations, supports pest control, and keeps ecosystems stable. The researchers found that as the diversity of species in a food web rises, the intensity of predation rises steeply with it. The headline contrast is stark, as the chart below shows.
The finding reframes a long-running question in ecology. Earlier work often measured biodiversity’s effect within one layer of an ecosystem, such as plants. By tracking predators and prey across four ecosystem types, the study argues that the connections between species, the structure of the food web itself, drive how well an ecosystem works.
What the food web study measured
The analysis drew together food web data from marine, freshwater, and soil systems worldwide. The scope and headline figures are set out below.
| Study detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Food webs analysed | More than 300 |
| Ecosystem types | Oceans, lakes, streams, soils |
| Collaborating institutions | More than 20 worldwide |
| Increase in predation with species diversity | Up to 70 times |
| Journal | Nature |
| Publication date | July 1, 2026 |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41586-026-10710-5 |
Source: iDiv / University of Waikato release; Nature (July 1, 2026).
The study was led by Dr Andrew Barnes of the University of Waikato, with senior author Dr Benoit Gauzens of iDiv and Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The authors report that the pattern held across very different habitats, from soils to open water.
Why predator diversity matters for people
Predation is not an abstract metric. It underpins services that people rely on, including natural pest control in farmland, climate regulation, and the stability that helps ecosystems absorb shocks. The study’s conclusion, that losing species thins out these interactions, suggests biodiversity loss can weaken ecosystem function well before a habitat looks visibly degraded.
That places food web health among the broader shifts tracked in 24 bold sustainability trends to watch in 2025 and 2026. It also speaks to the economic case for protecting nature, since services such as pest control have real value, a theme explored in is sustainability really too expensive?. The researchers argue that conservation should protect not just species, but the relationships between them.
About iDiv
The German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) was founded in 2012 with a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Germany’s main research-funding body. Based in Halle, Jena, and Leipzig, it is a central facility of Leipzig University, run jointly with Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and Friedrich Schiller University Jena, in cooperation with the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). The centre developed the field of integrative biodiversity research, combining approaches from molecular to ecosystem scale and drawing on both the natural and social sciences. Its consortium spans roughly 300 staff and 170 members. The new Nature study, co-led from iDiv with the University of Waikato, extends that work by showing how the structure of entire food webs governs the way ecosystems function.
Sources: Nature; EurekAlert (iDiv / University of Waikato); Leipzig University; Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Featured image: photo by K on Pexels (free Pexels license).
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I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.
