BIOL208 Lecture Notes - Lecture 28: Keystone Species
20 Sep 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Food webs are dynamic constantly in flux. Proposed that predators play an important role in keeping prey populations at bay. Robert paine observed that a relatively simple temperate food web contained a relatively low proportion of predatory species . While a diverse subtropical food web contained a higher proportion of predatory species. Keystone species can also be mutualists (mutualisms=reciprocal exploitation) Keystone species are just species that are really important. Dominant species are always going to have a big effect on community structure. Mid 1990s national park decided to reintroduce the wolf. Other effects bird diversity & berries in bear scat. Organisms that maintain or create habitat for either themselves or other species in the community organisms that manipulate the abiotic factors in the environment. Beavers are one of the best examples.
