Keystone Species

Research and Presentation

Video Link
What did we just witness?
Is this the only source of food for orcas (killer
whales) or do they eat many things?
Another sea lion orca video
If a predator cannot find its favored food what does
it do?
All species are important but some have a greater
more far-reaching impact.
What is a keystone species?

What is a keystone species?
Species whose loss from an ecosystem would cause
a greater than average change in diversity of other
species, community structure and/or ecosystem
processes.
Link to another video about keystone species
Starfish as Keystone
Species
Experimental removal from sections of reefs
Mussels overpopulate and outcompete other filter
feeders like sponges, squirts, etc.
These begin do die out in these areas
If this were across a region populations of organism
that feed on these filter feeders die out.
Healthy communities come about from the behavior
of healthy populations of starfish.
Keystone species can be
Modifiers
Predators
Prey
Mutualists
Hosts
A species can do any number of a variety of things
that have big effects on their community.