WenJun Zhang School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China Selforganizology ISSN 2410-0080 http://www.iaees.org/publications/journals/selforganizology/online-version.asp 2027 14 3-4 47 67 International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Hong Kong 18 May 2026 29 June 2026 1 December 2027 vegetational diversity conservation biological control functional vegetation network synergistic regulation trophic cascade emergent properties ecological thresholds Enhancing vegetational diversity on farmland through practices such as weed belts, intercropping, trap cropping, and habitat establishment is widely recognized as a nature-based solution for suppressing pests and bolstering natural enemy communities. Nevertheless, the translation of this ecological principle into reliably effective and predictable pest management remains hindered by a persistent theoretical lag. Empirical outcomes oscillate between marked pest suppression and negligible effects, primarily because the underlying mechanisms are still conceptualized through static, univariate, and scale-insensitive hypotheses. This paper undertakes a comprehensive and critical synthesis of the existing knowledge base, rigorously deconstructing classical frameworks such as the enemies hypothesis, resource concentration hypothesis, and associational resistance concepts. Through a systematic chain of logical deductions anchored in network science, functional ecology, and non-equilibrium thermodynamics, I identify a fundamental conceptual flaw: the treatment of vegetation diversity as an undifferentiated bulk property rather than a spatially explicit, functionally complementary, and temporally orchestrated network. To rectify this, I propose an original theoretical construct, the Functional Vegetation Network Synergy Theory (FVNST). FVNST posits that sustainable pest suppression emerges only when three irreducible axes: functional module completeness, spatial network connectivity, and temporal resource continuity, simultaneously exceed critical thresholds, thereby triggering a synergistic, non-linear amplification of natural enemy efficacy. The theory is formalized through a suite of postulates and a mathematical model articulating the Natural enemy Support Potential and Pest Suppression Potential as a threshold-dependent function. This framework recasts the role of vegetation from a passive source of general biodiversity to an actively designed, multi-trophic ecological network infrastructure. The paper further delineates a five-step design methodology, introduces a quantitative Functional Vegetation Network Efficacy Index, and conceptually validates the theory through cross-system application scenarios. FVNST provides an engineering-ready, predictive core for conservation biological control, transforming it from a collection of empirical rules of thumb into a principled scientific discipline. http://www.iaees.org/publications/journals/selforganizology/articles/2027-14(3-4)/synergistic-regulation-theory.pdf