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Research Article

Ecological mechanisms underlying the sustainability of the agricultural heritage rice–fish coculture system

Jian Xie, Liangliang Hu, Jianjun Tang, Xue Wu, Nana Li, Yongge Yuan, Haishui Yang, Jiaen Zhang, Shiming Luo, and Xin Chen
PNAS first published November 14, 2011; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1111043108
Jian Xie
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Liangliang Hu
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Jianjun Tang
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Xue Wu
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Nana Li
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Yongge Yuan
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Haishui Yang
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Jiaen Zhang
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Shiming Luo
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Xin Chen
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  • For correspondence: chen-tang@zju.edu.cn
  1. Edited by Stephen R. Carpenter, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, and approved October 13, 2011 (received for review July 12, 2011)

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Abstract

For centuries, traditional agricultural systems have contributed to food and livelihood security throughout the world. Recognizing the ecological legacy in the traditional agricultural systems may help us develop novel sustainable agriculture. We examine how rice–fish coculture (RF), which has been designated a “globally important agricultural heritage system,” has been maintained for over 1,200 y in south China. A field survey demonstrated that although rice yield and rice-yield stability are similar in RF and rice monoculture (RM), RF requires 68% less pesticide and 24% less chemical fertilizer than RM. A field experiment confirmed this result. We documented that a mutually beneficial relationship between rice and fish develops in RF: Fish reduce rice pests and rice favors fish by moderating the water environment. This positive relationship between rice and fish reduces the need for pesticides in RF. Our results also indicate a complementary use of nitrogen (N) between rice and fish in RF, resulting in low N fertilizer application and low N release into the environment. These findings provide unique insights into how positive interactions and complementary use of resource between species generate emergent ecosystem properties and how modern agricultural systems might be improved by exploiting synergies between species.

Footnotes

  • ↵1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: chen-tang{at}zju.edu.cn.
  • Author contributions: J.T., J.Z., S.L., and X.C. designed research; J.X., L.H., J.T., X.W., N.L., Y.Y., H.Y., and X.C. performed research; J.X., L.H., J.T., X.W., N.L., H.Y., J.Z., S.L., and X.C. analyzed data; and J.X., L.H., J.T., S.L., and X.C. wrote the paper.

  • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  • This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.

  • This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1111043108/-/DCSupplemental.

Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.

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Ecological mechanisms underlying the sustainability of the agricultural heritage rice–fish coculture system
Jian Xie, Liangliang Hu, Jianjun Tang, Xue Wu, Nana Li, Yongge Yuan, Haishui Yang, Jiaen Zhang, Shiming Luo, Xin Chen
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nov 2011, 201111043; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1111043108

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Ecological mechanisms underlying the sustainability of the agricultural heritage rice–fish coculture system
Jian Xie, Liangliang Hu, Jianjun Tang, Xue Wu, Nana Li, Yongge Yuan, Haishui Yang, Jiaen Zhang, Shiming Luo, Xin Chen
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nov 2011, 201111043; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1111043108
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: 118 (8)
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