Matthew Kling

CROP SWITCHING

[PAPER] Mapping the mechanics of agroecological change

Crop switching patterns across the United States

Overview

My research examines how plants respond to global environmental change, primarily focusing on biodiversity in natural ecosystems. This work extends that focus to agroecosystems, which also dynamically adapt to changing environmental and economic pressures. Our recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024) presents a comprehensive analysis of crop switching patterns across the United States, a key mechanism by which agricultural systems adapt to climate change.

Research Highlights

We developed a high-resolution portrait of crop switching patterns using remote sensing data over the past two decades, revealing that:

  • Crop switching occurs on more than 6% of all US cropland annually, representing a significant mechanism of agricultural change
  • Switching is most common in landscapes with sparse cultivation and high crop diversity, while rare in homogeneous agricultural regions like the Midwestern corn belt
  • Different dimensions of novelty in crop switching (temporal, spatial, and categorical) show distinct geographic patterns, indicating varied adaptation strategies across regions

Implications

This work demonstrates that innovation through crop switching manifests differently across various agricultural regions, with potentially significant implications for agricultural system resilience to climate change and other systemic trends. The findings contribute to our understanding of adaptation mechanisms in both managed and natural ecosystems.

Citation: Kling, M., C. Brittain, G. Galford, T. Waring, L. Hébert-Dufresne, M. Dube, H. Sabzian, N. Gotelli, B. McGill, and M. Niles. (2024) Innovations through crop switching happen on the diverse margins of US agriculture. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(42). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2402195121