Blog Post 2

The topic I have chosen to study for my inquiry blog is keystone species. Like the keystone in an arch, keystone species are essential in holding up their ecosystems. These species play such a vital role in their ecosystem, that if these species were gone, the entire ecosystem would collapse, and would have to dramatically change or cease to exist.

Keystone species come in many different forms. They can be at the bottom of the food chain, the top predator, a plant, an animal, or even a fungus. They can play different roles, from predator to pollinator. They often are not the most common specie in the ecosystem, nor the largest. And yet they are the most important.

One example of a keystone specie is a honeybee, pictured below. These insects are needed to pollinate plants, from wildflowers to the food we eat. Many plants cannot be pollinated by any other means, and rely solely on the honeybee. With the loss of honeybees, a plethora of plants would also disappear.

Image from National Geographic Kids

Another example is the sea otter, seen below. The sea otter functions as a predator in its ecosystem, eating sea urchins. Sea urchins in turn eat kelp. With the loss of the sea otter, the sea urchin population grows, and in turn eats more kelp. Then the animals relying on the kelp also disappear. The otter is vital in the survival of the kelp ecosystem.

Image from National Geographic Kids

While I know quite a bit about keystone species, there are still some things that I want to know about the topic. What are some other examples of keystone species? What are the official classifications of keystone species? Is there one for every type of ecosystem? Can an ecosystem have more than one keystone specie? And who first discovered that they existed?
There are several sources I will look into to further research this topic.

National Geographic - This website has a great photo slide show, as well as information in textual format. This site gives many great examples and the official classifications of keystone species.

Nature - This site gives the history of the term keystone species and the history behind its discovery. It also gives many detailed examples of keystone species with scientific references.

3 Animals That Keep Their Whole Ecosystem Together - This is a good short video about keystone species, using three examples.

Behaviour Journal - This article is an example of the effects urbanization has on keystone species.

Hakai Magazine  - This has a great video on the discovery of keystone species and the methods used.

Wisconsin Academy- This article talks about a keystone species found right in Wisconsin- the lake trout of Lake Michigan.