A Keystone Species Affects Its Community by ____

Question

A keystone species affects its community by ____.  
A) maintaining food web interactions or modifying the habitat
B) controlling the prey species
C) decreasing the number of prey species in a community
D) preying upon a wide variety of organisms in the community
E) feeding on only one type of organisms in the community

Accepted Answer

A keystone species has a significant impact on its community by maintaining food web interactions or modifying the habitat. They are important in determining the structure and function of the ecosystem as their presence or absence can have a ripple effect on the entire community. They can also act as ecosystem engineers, creating and modifying habitats that support other species. Controlling prey species or feeding on a wide variety of organisms are not necessarily characteristics of a keystone species, and feeding on only one type of organism would not have as significant an impact on the community.