The study investigates the energetic and functional consequences of land-use change from tropical rainforests to agricultural plantations on animal biodiversity and food webs. In Sumatra, Indonesia, researchers assessed energy fluxes across 'green' (canopy arthropods and birds) and 'brown' (soil arthropods and earthworms) food webs in rainforests and plantations. Results show that most energy in rainforests is channeled to belowground animal food webs, with over 90% of total animal energy flux attributed to arthropods in soil and canopy. In contrast, plantations, particularly rubber agroforests, had higher total animal energy fluxes compared to rainforests, but the key energetic nodes were different. In plantations, more than 50% of the energy was allocated to annelids (earthworms). Land-use change led to a decline in multitrophic energy flux aboveground and reduced energy flux to higher trophic levels belowground, down to about 90%. This coincides with soil carbon stock depletion. The study highlights that well-documented declines in animal biodiversity in tropical land-use change are associated with significant energetic and functional restructuring in food webs across aboveground and belowground ecosystem compartments.The study investigates the energetic and functional consequences of land-use change from tropical rainforests to agricultural plantations on animal biodiversity and food webs. In Sumatra, Indonesia, researchers assessed energy fluxes across 'green' (canopy arthropods and birds) and 'brown' (soil arthropods and earthworms) food webs in rainforests and plantations. Results show that most energy in rainforests is channeled to belowground animal food webs, with over 90% of total animal energy flux attributed to arthropods in soil and canopy. In contrast, plantations, particularly rubber agroforests, had higher total animal energy fluxes compared to rainforests, but the key energetic nodes were different. In plantations, more than 50% of the energy was allocated to annelids (earthworms). Land-use change led to a decline in multitrophic energy flux aboveground and reduced energy flux to higher trophic levels belowground, down to about 90%. This coincides with soil carbon stock depletion. The study highlights that well-documented declines in animal biodiversity in tropical land-use change are associated with significant energetic and functional restructuring in food webs across aboveground and belowground ecosystem compartments.