Trophic interactions and biodiversity: How natural enemies shape biodiversity: a double-edged sword

Natural enemies, that is, species that inflict harm on others to feed on them, are fundamental drivers of biodiversity dynamics and represent a substantial portion of it. Along the life history of the Earth, natural enemies have been involved in probably some of the most productive mechanisms of biodiversity genesis; that is, adaptive radiation mediated by enemy-victim coevolutionary processes. At ecological timescales, natural enemies are a fundamental piece of food webs and can contribute to biodiversity preservation by promoting stability and coexistence at lower trophic levels through top-down regulation mechanisms. However, natural enemies often produce dramatic losses of biodiversity wherein, in most cases, humans take part of it.