Landscape configurations with greater seminatural habitat and edge density enhance soybean yield across multiple spatial scales

Abstract

Context

Semi-natural habitat amount and configuration are key drivers of ecosystem processes that support soybean crop yield, such as pollination and natural pest control. However, their influence across spatial scales remains poorly understood, with existing evidence often limited or contradictory. Clarifying how the habitat amount and configuration shape yield—and whether threshold effects occur— is essential to guide effective landscape management strategies in agroecosystems.

Objectives

This study assessed how seminatural habitat amount and configuration (edge density) influence soybean seed number, seed mass, and yield across Argentina’s major soybean-producing regions, and whether threshold effects exist in these relationships.

Methods

We analyzed data from 58 soybean crop fields distributed across four major soybean-producing regions in Argentina. Using linear mixed-effects models, we assessed the influence of habitat amount and edge density at three spatial scales (buffers of 1.5, 3, and 6 km) on seed number per plant, seed mass per plant, and crop yield. Generalized additive mixed models and segmented regressions were used to test threshold effects.

Results

Both seminatural habitat amount and edge density positively influenced seed number per plant, seed mass per plant, and soybean yield across the three landscape scales studied. Yield increased steadily with habitat amount, indicating no saturation across the studied range. In contrast, edge density within 6-km radius buffer areas showed a potential threshold: benefits leveled off or declined beyond 23.26 m/ha.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the ecological importance of seminatural habitats in agroecosystems. They emphasize the need to avoid applying fixed thresholds universally and instead design context-specific landscape management strategies that promote a heterogeneous and functionally connected agricultural matrix, maximizing soybean yield while conserving seminatural habitats.