Environmental Politics Biodiversity Conservation Questions
The main criteria used to identify keystone species are their ecological impact and their role in maintaining the structure and functioning of an ecosystem. Keystone species are typically characterized by having a disproportionately large impact on their environment relative to their abundance. They often have a crucial role in regulating the population sizes of other species or in shaping the physical environment. Additionally, keystone species are usually highly interconnected within the ecosystem, meaning that their removal or decline can have cascading effects on other species and ecological processes.