A ________ species is fundamentally essential to an ecosystem; its loss changes the structure of the entire community.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A keystone species has a disproportionate effect on the structure of an ecosystem relative to its abundance. Its removal can cause significant changes to the community and may even cause the collapse of the ecosystem. Redundant species, on the other hand, have minimal impact on the ecosystem, and their loss does not significantly affect its structure. Baseline and footprint are not ecological terms, while rivet is used in the analogy of biodiversity functioning similarly to a plane held together by rivets, but not as a classification of a species.

A ________ Species Is Fundamentally Essential to an Ecosystem; Its