A concept map can be used to illustrate the connections between various species and their functions within the ecosystem. You can depict keystone species’ influence on community diversity by adding them to the idea map.
For instance, the HHMI BioInteractive website offers a map-based interface that showcases fifteen distinct keystone species from different ecological functions and trophic levels, such as scavengers, herbivores, predators, and ecosystem engineers, across the globe. Identifying keystone species and their ecological responsibilities can be done with this resource, after which you can incorporate them into your idea map.
Which species are keystones, for instance?
Keystone species are those that, in relation to their abundance, have an outsized impact on their surroundings. They are essential to preserving the stability and balance of their ecosystems. Keystone species include the following examples:
- Sea otter: Coastal kelp protectors.
- Kangaroo rat: Desert seed dispersers.
- Snowshoe hare: Northern forest prey.
- Grizzly bear: Forest nutrient distributors.
- Hunting behavior of gray wolves: Apex pack hunters.
- Beaver: Wetland dam builders.
- Prairie dog: Grassland burrowers.
- Shark: Ocean apex predators.
- Starfish: Tidal pool regulators.
- Hummingbird: Flower pollinators.
- Saguaro: Desert arm plants.
- American alligator: Subtropical swamp rulers.
- Honey bee: Plant mutualists.
- Woodpecker: Tree cavity makers.
- Ivory bush coral: Reef structure builders.
- Parrotfish: Coral reef cleaners.
- Krill: Southern ocean food base.
- Gopher tortoise: Dry-land burrowing tortoises.
- Mountain Lions: Large territorial predators.
- Jaguars: Water-loving big cats.
- Caribous: Arctic herd animals.
- Fig Tree: Fruit-bearing trees.
- Pacific Salmon: Freshwater and terrestrial nourishers.
- Snow Geese: Tundra and agricultural grazers.
- Spruce Budworm: Forest herbivores.
- Sugar Maples: Eastern U.S. trees.
- Red Mangroves: Water edge trees.
- Bats: Nighttime insect controllers.
What impact do keystone species have on their environment?
In relation to their abundance, keystone species have an outsized impact on their surroundings. They are essential to preserving the stability and balance of their ecosystems. Because keystone species have little functional redundancy, no other species could take over their ecological niche in the ecosystem in the event that they vanished. The environment would have to drastically shift, making room for potentially invasive new species to proliferate.
Keystone species’ ecological responsibilities determine the ways in which they can affect food webs. Predators such as the gray wolf, for instance, have the ability to regulate the population and range of numerous prey species. By controlling the numbers of mussels and barnacles, sea otters can contribute to the preservation of coastal kelp forests. This, in turn, helps to maintain healthy populations of seaweeds and the communities that eat them. By constructing dams that result in ponds and wetlands, which provide as habitat for a range of aquatic and terrestrial species, beavers can contribute to the maintenance of wetland environments.
