Page 94 - World of Animals - Issue #31

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Sea otters live in kelp forests
of the North Pacifi c Ocean,
and are one of the most
important keystone species

What is a keystone species?

A keystone species is an animal, or sometimes a plant, forests bare. This would leave the area uninhabitable for Without the elephants pulling up the trees, the acacia
which has the ability to shape its environment. Without the other animals that depend on the giant seaweed as a would keep growing taller and the habitat would
these species, a landscape would look dramatically food source. Kelp also siphons carbon dioxide from the eventually transform into a forest, which would have
different. The sea otter is the classic example of a air, converting it to sugar, which helps to reduce harmful devastating effects for all the other animals living there.

keystone species. These animals feed on sea urchins and atmospheric carbon. Other keystone species of animal include alligators,
by doing this, keep the sea urchin population at a stable Elephants are another good example of keystone bears, hummingbirds and bees. In some instances, the
level. Without otters, the number of sea urchins would species. By uprooting the savannah’s acacia trees and removal of a keystone species can lead to the collapse of
increase, and their appetite for kelp would strip kelp pulling out small bushes, they maintain the landscape. an entire ecosystem.
Why are mosquitoes Despite being a nuisance,

mosquitoes are a key
important? part of the food chain

A lot of people ask this, particularly when talking about the
‘circle of life’ and the fine balance of ecosystems. What part

do mosquitoes play in this, and would it really matter if they
didn’t exist? It’s easy to see why people dislike mosquitoes
– at best, their persistence and bloodthirsty behaviour is a
nuisance and can spread deadly diseases.
Mosquitoes have been around much longer than man,
with the oldest fossil dating back 200 million years, making
the small insects much more important than you’d think.

All animals have evolved to fill an ecological niche, and
mosquitoes are no different. In their larval stage, mosquitoes
are aquatic insects that strain unicellular algae from the water,
and make a nutrient-dense snack for other aquatic animals, In their larval stage,
and as flying insects, they are an important food source mosquitoes are able to propel

for birds and bats. In medicine, near-painless hypodermic themselves around the water
needles have been modelled on a mosquito’s proboscis. in a wriggling motion
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