keystone species
Food webs may reorganize when a keystone species disappears. This topic is part of Ecology within Science & Nature. This page currently draws on 6 supporting questions, with answers and bonus facts available below.
keystone species trivia questions
A keystone species has an unusually large effect on what?
Answer: Its ecosystem
Bonus fact: Its influence is large relative to its abundance.
Sea otters are often called keystone species because they control populations of what?
Answer: Sea urchins
Bonus fact: By eating urchins, otters help protect kelp forests.
What can happen if a keystone species is removed?
Answer: The ecosystem can change dramatically
Bonus fact: Food webs may reorganize when a keystone species disappears.
Why is the gopher tortoise considered a keystone species?
Answer: Its burrows provide shelter for many other animals
Bonus fact: Hundreds of other species may use gopher tortoise burrows for refuge.
What is the name for a species whose impact on an ecosystem is disproportionately large relative to its abundance?
Answer: Keystone species
Bonus fact: Removing a keystone species can cause major changes throughout an ecosystem.
What term describes a species whose effect on an ecosystem is disproportionately large relative to its abundance?
Answer: Keystone species
Bonus fact: Keystone species can strongly shape ecosystem structure even when they are not numerically dominant.