In 2005, scientists began reshaping an Inner Mongolia grassland; years later, plant-eating insects...

A long-term study in Inner Mongolia found that herbivorous insects are the strongest stabilizer of the grassland food web.

The research, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology and led by Takehiro Sasaki of Yokohama National University, analyzed data across plants, herbivores, and predators.

Staggered population changes among different herbivore species act as a natural shock absorber, protecting the ecosystem from sudden food shortages for predators and preserving plant diversity.

The study challenges prior assumptions that plants or predators primarily drive food web stability, highlighting the crucial role of herbivores.