Eli5: What are keystone species and why are they important??
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They are the species which, when removed from an ecosystem, cause it to massively change or collapse altogether. For example, beavers create and maintain lakes and wetlands through their activity, and if they disappear the entire landscape quickly changes, leading to almost all the other species losing habitat, food source etc.
They are the species which, when removed from an ecosystem, cause it to massively change or collapse altogether. For example, beavers create and maintain lakes and wetlands through their activity, and if they disappear the entire landscape quickly changes, leading to almost all the other species losing habitat, food source etc.
They are the species which, when removed from an ecosystem, cause it to massively change or collapse altogether. For example, beavers create and maintain lakes and wetlands through their activity, and if they disappear the entire landscape quickly changes, leading to almost all the other species losing habitat, food source etc.
Keystone species play a pivotal role in their ecosystems. Without them, their ecosystem fractures. A good example is salmon.
Salmon are born in upstream freshwater. The fry feed waterfowl and other critters. When they work their way down to riparian and/or brackish areas, their waste feeds the plant life (which feeds other species) and the juveniles feed fishing/raptor species.
Once adult enough to be in salt water, they are a primary source of food for many marine mammals such as orcas.
When they make the journey back up to where they were spawned, to spawn themselves, they feed raptors and predators like bears. Bears gorge on salmon, so that they gain enough weight to make it through hibernation.
No salmon? Frogs, birds, waterfowl, beavers, don’t have as much to eat. Some of the Orca populations in the PNW – EIGHTY PERCENT of their diet is salmon. No salmon, no Orcas. And on and on.
So you look at the long list of species that depend on salmon, and that is why it is a keystone species.
Keystone species play a pivotal role in their ecosystems. Without them, their ecosystem fractures. A good example is salmon.
Salmon are born in upstream freshwater. The fry feed waterfowl and other critters. When they work their way down to riparian and/or brackish areas, their waste feeds the plant life (which feeds other species) and the juveniles feed fishing/raptor species.
Once adult enough to be in salt water, they are a primary source of food for many marine mammals such as orcas.
When they make the journey back up to where they were spawned, to spawn themselves, they feed raptors and predators like bears. Bears gorge on salmon, so that they gain enough weight to make it through hibernation.
No salmon? Frogs, birds, waterfowl, beavers, don’t have as much to eat. Some of the Orca populations in the PNW – EIGHTY PERCENT of their diet is salmon. No salmon, no Orcas. And on and on.
So you look at the long list of species that depend on salmon, and that is why it is a keystone species.
Keystone species play a pivotal role in their ecosystems. Without them, their ecosystem fractures. A good example is salmon.
Salmon are born in upstream freshwater. The fry feed waterfowl and other critters. When they work their way down to riparian and/or brackish areas, their waste feeds the plant life (which feeds other species) and the juveniles feed fishing/raptor species.
Once adult enough to be in salt water, they are a primary source of food for many marine mammals such as orcas.
When they make the journey back up to where they were spawned, to spawn themselves, they feed raptors and predators like bears. Bears gorge on salmon, so that they gain enough weight to make it through hibernation.
No salmon? Frogs, birds, waterfowl, beavers, don’t have as much to eat. Some of the Orca populations in the PNW – EIGHTY PERCENT of their diet is salmon. No salmon, no Orcas. And on and on.
So you look at the long list of species that depend on salmon, and that is why it is a keystone species.
YSK the humans aren’t a keystone species. Wolves are. Bees are. Many others but not humans.
YSK the humans aren’t a keystone species. Wolves are. Bees are. Many others but not humans.
Keystone species impact the other creatures living in an ecosystem there are different types of keystone species; predators, builders and mutualists in changing or maintaining the habitat around them. Removing the keystone species or a group of other species may damage the habitat. https://youtu.be/os_pkbGrf3s
YSK the humans aren’t a keystone species. Wolves are. Bees are. Many others but not humans.
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