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Keystone species play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community, affecting many other organisms in an ecosystem and helping to determine the types and numbers of various other species in the community. Without keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether. Some ...
Beaver, Canadian lynx, bobcat, wolverine, and snowshoe hare are all keystone species in the taiga area. These species are keystone because they have learned to adapt to the cold climate of the area and are able to survive year-round. These species survive year-round in taiga by changing fur color and growing extra fur.
Not all cultural keystone species are beneficial to a community or an ecosystem, particularly when the species is considered invasive. [2] One example of this is the Australian Eucalyptus tree that is now widespread in California and is considered to be culturally important because of its aesthetic value and dietary uses.
This has a positive effect on species richness and diversity of their habitats which results in the prairie dogs being labelled as keystone species. [17] Arthropods can also be ecosystem engineers, such as spiders, ants, and many types of larvae that create shelters out of leaves, as well as gall-inducing insects that change the shapes of ...
Many species of army ants are widely considered to be keystone species [27] due to their important ecological role as arthropod predators [28] and due to their large number of vertebrate and invertebrate associates that rely on army ant colonies for nutrition or protection.
By analyzing network structures, one can determine keystone species that are of particular importance. A different class of keystone species is what are termed 'ecosystem engineers'. Certain organisms alter the environment so drastically that it affects many interactions that take place within a habitat.
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Paine defined the concept of a keystone species as a species that has a disproportionate effect on the community structure of an environment in relation to its total biomass. This keystone species effect forms the basis for the concept of ecological extinction.