Some of the earliest research on was conducted by Robert T. Paine, who actually coined the term keystone species. For over 25 ye
ars Paine and his students removed , a sea star, from tidal pools on the coast of Washington. Throughout his research, Paine discovered that removal of this predator resulted in A) another predator moving in to replace the sea stars. B) a change in trophic levels, with only producers and herbivores present. C) mussels becoming the dominant species and crowding out all competitors. D) a shift in the ecosystem and a new keystone species becoming established.
The predators were unable to keep the population of the mussels down. The mussels took more area of the rock. Other species that needed space did not return to the tidal pool. Otters can also be keystone species as they eat urchins. By doing so, they prevent the sea urchins form eating all the kelp plants and removing the entire habitat for many other species. The Keystone Species theory shows that this impact of few predators, that made up a minor amount of the total species, could have such a high impact on the ecosystem.
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