NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -A keystone species is an organism that helps define an entire ecosystem. Without its keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether. Keystone species have low functional redundancy.

Detailed explanation-2: -In a marine ecosystem, or any type of ecosystem, a keystone species is an organism that helps hold the system together. Without its keystone species, ecosystems would look very different. Some ecosystems might not be able to adapt to environmental changes if their keystone species disappeared.

Detailed explanation-3: -Though a plant, the fig tree is a keystone species. It is a food resource for both the animals and birds. Its leaves are edible to animals but it is its fruits that are mostly sought after. These fruits, present in all seasons, provide food during the dry season when there is no food for the animals.

Detailed explanation-4: -The importance of keystone species for maintaining biodiversity. Keystone species are solely responsible for maintaining the local species diversity. Without keystone predators, one prey population will explode and lead to extinction of other populations, as in the case of the mussels in Tatoosh Islands.

Detailed explanation-5: -Boreal forest In the Canadian boreal, the snowshoe hare is an example of a keystone prey species, serving as food for the threatened Canada lynx (which relies on snowshoe hares for more than 75 percent of its winter diet), and other predators.