Keystone Species
A keystone species is a special type of organism that has a much bigger effect on its ecosystem than you might think just by looking at how many of them there are. For example, sea otters are a keystone species because they help keep their environment healthy. They eat sea urchins, which are small creatures that can eat a lot of kelp if there are too many of them. If sea otters weren't around, the number of sea urchins would grow out of control, and they would destroy the kelp forests. These forests are very important because they provide homes for many other animals and plants. Another example is the wolves in Yellowstone National Park. Wolves are also a keystone species because they help manage the number of elk. When wolves keep elk populations in check, it allows plants along riverbanks to grow back. This helps to stabilize the banks and creates a better environment for many different kinds of living things. Losing a keystone species can lead to big problems for the whole ecosystem, showing just how important they are!