What are keystone predators and species ?
We have invented lot of different categories to describe species according to their function. Keystone species are one of the most important ones. A keystone species is a species that, when removed, causes ecosystems to collapse, because interactions with other species are critical for maintaining this diversity and the resilience of ecosystems. If you remove keystone species like lions or wolves, or in many cases much smaller creatures like prairie dogs and pollinators, ecosystems unravel. It may take time for people to see that happen. It took people fifty years or so in Yellowstone to begin actually seeing the process of degradation occurring in the park. There are two main effects that keystone carnivores have on preventing degraded processes. One is called herbivore release, and the other is called mesopredator release. For example, the eastern United States is overrun by white-tailed deer. People can’t even have gardens in many parts of the Midwest and East. The termination of hu
