Keystone Species Keep it Together

Do you have someone in your life whose role is to keep it all together? Perhaps it is someone who you can count on to make sure you or your family are well-fed, safe, and healthy. Perhaps it’s a friend that you rely on for support. Without this person, it feels as if everything could fall apart.

This winter, we’re learning all about keystone species- or organisms (plants or animals) that help define an entire ecosystem. Without a keystone species, it’s ecosystem would be dramatically different or wouldn’t even exist at all! From the saguaro cactus to beavers to the purple sea star, keystone species play an incredibly important role in keeping it all together.

One of the most fascinating examples of keystone species is the gray wolves of Yellowstone National Park. Here at Nature Links, we explored what happened when wolves were hunted to extinction in our nation’s first national park in the 1920s, and the miraculous changes that happened after they were re-introduced in 1995. Check out the video to learn more about the impact gray wolves have on their ecosystem!