Food-web complexity magnifies biodiversity's control of ecosystem functioning
A cross-ecosystem analysis of 318 detailed food webs shows that biodiversity consistently enhances ecosystem functioning across all trophic levels. This effect arises from greater vertical diversity (maximum trophic level) and predator complementarity that boosts energy flux and predation, with predator complementarity especially elevating flux in freshwater systems. The findings indicate that preserving trophic complexity and the predators that drive multi-trophic interactions is crucial for maintaining biodiversity, ecosystem services, and stability under biodiversity change.