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A keystone species can be an animal, plant or microorganism. Coral is instrumental in creating diverse reef ecosystems. In the plant kingdom, keystone species include mangrove trees, which support shorelines from erosion and provide protective habitats for small fish and other organisms. Other keystone species include the sea otter, which eats ...
Keystone species are organisms that play a key role in and have a disproportionate impact on their surrounding ecosystem. Without these species, the delicate balance of these systems could collapse. As the 1t.org US Chapter celebrates its one-year anniversary, here are five species that play a key role in and have a disproportionate impact on ...
In an ecosystem, predators known as a ‘keystone species’ help control populations of prey. At least 8 million species of plants and animals on earth today live together in interconnected systems. Changing human systems such as food production, energy and infrastructure can help preserve ecosystems and halt biodiversity loss.
Peatlands have been heavily exploited and damaged. Image: REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko. Peatlands are vital to slow the effects of climate change, by acting as carbon sinks, writes expert in peatland restoration, Bin Xu. Globally, peatland covers more than three million square kilometres, and contains more than 550 gigatonnes of carbon.
Kate Whiting. In the Davos session, 'Technology in a Turbulent World', OpenAI CEO Sam Altman explained where he sees AI heading. 'Artificial Intelligence as a Driving Force for the Economy and Society' is a key theme at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting. Altman reflected on a year of generative AI making headlines.
With 500 plus species, sharks don’t just dwell in the ocean, they help shape it. “The ocean’s upper surface receives the most sunlight, which enables phytoplankton – the engines of marine ecosystems – to thrive, but these shallow waters are nutrient poor,” says Cornish. “When sharks, rays and marine mammals like whales dive to ...
A Diamondback terrapin in the Gulf Coast of Florida's mangrove islands. Image: Nick Conzone/Mangrove Photography Awards 2024. This keystone species is crucial for promoting the health of mangrove forests. By eating snails, crabs, clams and small fish, these turtles prevent overgrazing that could disrupt the ecosystem.
A healthy forest ecosystem sucks in CO2 and keeps other climate-forcing factors in relative balance. But in the Amazon, where forests have faced increased logging, mining, dam construction, and clearing for agricultural (typically using fire), the system is drying and degrading. One study found that the amount of aboveground plant tissue in the ...
A keystone species, bison once roamed the American Great Plains in the tens of millions, but were hunted to near extinction. Bison are known as ecosystem engineers because they perform many services for the habitats in which they live, like rolling around and packing down soil in wallows that collect rainwater and grazing on different heights ...
Nature already has myriad built-in feedback loops, including some strongly self-amplifying ones. These are why ecosystems like coral reefs or biomes like the Amazon rainforest have tipping points. They are why the removal or reintroduction of one keystone species — like wolves in Yellowstone National Park — can transform a whole ecosystem.