EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Keystone species are those which have an extremely high impact on a particular ecosystem relative to its population. Keystone species are also critical for the overall structure and function of an ecosystem, and influence which other types of plants and animals make up that ecosystem.

Detailed explanation-2: -What Effect Do Keystones Have on an Ecosystem? Keystone species maintain the local biodiversity of an ecosystem, influencing the abundance and type of other species in a habitat. They are nearly always a critical component of the local food web.

Detailed explanation-3: -Keystone species have low functional redundancy. This means that if the species were to disappear from the ecosystem, no other species would be able to fill its ecological niche. The ecosystem would be forced to radically change, allowing new and possibly invasive species to populate the habitat.

Detailed explanation-4: -A keystone species is a plant, animal, fungi, or even bacteria that has a disproportionately large impact on their ecosystem. They play an important role in their natural environments as their impact on other species can reshape entire ecosystems.

Detailed explanation-5: -It plays a critical role in holding the community together. Does abundance or impact define a species as a keystone species in a community? The impact of its place in the community makes it a keystone species.