ZOOLOGY 651 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Keystone Species, Apex Predator, Ecosystem Engineer

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A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. leopold. Wildlife is the highest manifestation of what comes from the land the two keystone species that provide structure to the landscape and maintain its health: beavers are our ecosystem engineer. Habitat of the beaver is the riparian zone, rivers, and streams. Pre-european settlement, probably had a million or more beavers trapped almost to extinction by 1900. Wetlands are the link between land and water, and are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world. Hydrology benefits collect and hold flood water. Wetlands also act like sponges by keeping rivers at normal levels. We have about 54,000 beavers now, down from 225,000 in 1985. 75% crash in number of beaver colonies loss of 31,000 wetland complexes and the biodiversity they support lost wetland services valued at per acre million.

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