Time will tell: resource continuity bolsters ecosystem services

•Demands for agricultural products will limit set-aside of arable land to support ecosystem services.•Resource availability needs to be linked to requirements of beneficial organisms to identify resource bottlenecks and interruptions.•Securing resource continuity offers a targeted approach to support ecosystem services.

A common suggestion to support ecosystem services to agriculture provided by mobile organisms is to increase the amount of natural and seminatural habitat in the landscape. This might, however, be inefficient, and demands for agricultural products limit the feasibility of converting arable land into natural habitat. To develop more targeted means to promote ecosystem services, we need a solid understanding of the limitations to population growth for service-providing organisms. We propose a research agenda that identifies resource bottlenecks and interruptions over time to key beneficial organisms, emphasising their resulting population dynamics. Targeted measures that secure the continuity of resources throughout the life cycle of service-providing organisms are likely to effectively increase the stock, flow, and stability of ecosystem services.