When a keystone species is removed it creates a huge effect on their ecosystem [1]. The keystone species help control the populations in their ecosystem and encourage biodiversity [2]. These species do not necessarily need to be only animals they can also be plants. The way that plants become a keystone species is when a large amount of animals depend on it for resources such as food. An example is the American fig tree. Many species of animals depend on this tree to bare its fruit year round as a resource. Without it many of those species many die out. [2]
Insect Ecology
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Insect Niches
editInsects are a vary adaptive species and have been adapting to a multitude of ecosystem for over 400 million years. [3] Since insects are so small earth has provided them plenty of resources and niches to adapt to. They can take advantage of their size by making resources such as a leaf, piece of dirt, or sap become their main resource [4] and create an entire ecosystem around it. Since they can adapt to such small parts of our world such as a leaf then insects become on of the major contributor to biodiversity in many different niches throughout the world [3]. Within these many niches insects start to take roles that benefit the whole ecosystem.
Insect Roles in Niches
editBeing such a biodiverse species insects play a large role in ecosystems around the world through many functions they take part in. For example, nutrient recycling, through this process insects help degrade leaves on the floor of the forest which adds nutrients to the soil making it easier for plants to grow and also helps the soil retain more water[5]. Plants being abundant and healthy impact the herbivores food source and survival. Then the impact trickles up to carnivores which now have a healthy food source available to them. This helps all three species become fit.
Another important function insects do is pollination. Many plants depend on insects to help fertilize their pollen so that they can continue to make offspring and become a more fit species. Without the insects playing their role in pollination many species of plants could go extinct[5]. This would be devastating to some of the resources that populations consume. Without pollination many resources such as apples, melons, and even almonds would not exist.[5]
Talk about how without insects our world will be affected [6]
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- ^ Society, National Geographic (2011-01-21). "keystone species". National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
- ^ a b "keystone species | ecology". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
- ^ a b Insect Ecology (Third Edition). San Diego: Academic Press. 2011-01-01. pp. 15–16. ISBN 9780123813510.
- ^ Insect Ecology (Third Edition). San Diego: Academic Press. 2011-01-01. pp. 15–16. ISBN 9780123813510.
- ^ a b c "Impact of Insects". projects.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
- ^ "What If All of Earth's Insects Keeled Over?". Live Science. Retrieved 2016-10-18.