Question

Analyse data (from an Australian ecosystem) to identify a keystone species and predict the outcomes of removing the species from an ecosystem:

a) Predicting outcomes without data analysis
b) Considering multiple species as keystones
c) Ignoring the impact of keystone species removal
d) Analyzing data to understand ecosystem dynamics

Answer 1

A keystone species is one that has an ecosystem impact that is disproportionately large in relation to its abundance. Examples include the intertidal sea star and the banded tetra fish.

Step-by-step explanation:

A keystone species is one that has an ecosystem impact that is disproportionately large in relation to its abundance. For example, Pisaster ochraceus, the intertidal sea star, is a keystone species in the northwestern portion of the United States. Studies have shown that when this organism is removed from communities, mussel populations increase, completely altering the species composition and reducing biodiversity. Another example is the banded tetra, a fish in tropical streams, which supplies nearly all of the phosphorus, a necessary inorganic nutrient, to the rest of the community. If these fish were to become extinct, the community would be greatly affected.