Sea Otters Research Paper

Keystone species are species of animals that other species and the entire ecosystem depend on. Sea otters and elephants both play major roles in their ecosystems, as they are both keystone species. Without these two species, their ecosystems would have drastic changes in the environment in which many organisms and species would not be able to survive. If the sea otters and elephants were to leave the ecosystem it would cause a domino effect. The domino effect would make other species disappear and become extinct. After species leave, there is room for new species to move in and overtake the native species which would then change the ecosystem entirely to a new one. Sea otters and elephants are prime examples of keystone species, as without them a rapid domino effect would happen
affecting a lot of species as they are relied on heavily.
The sea otters of the Pacific Northwest play a vital role in controlling the ecosystem in the oceans along the west coast.
Sea otters manly feed on sea urchins. With sea urchins being the main food for the otters, the otters play a large roll in population control of the sea urchins. Without this population control the sea urchins would keep reproducing and eating up all the ecosystem’s kelp. Kelp, or large seaweed, is a major source of food for many species in the ecosystem besides sea urchins. If the urchin’s population were not controlled there would be no kelp for crabs, snails, and geese, which would cause extinction within in those species. Fish also use the kelp for protection, as they would hide within the kelp from predators. Without this protection, the fish population would decline, as there would be no cover for them. The population of predator’s that eats fish would sky rocket, which would throw the ecosystem out of its niche. Sea otters play a very important role in their ecosystem in the Pacific Northeast as they can control the sea urchin population, which has a direct influence on the kelp in the sea, which is a very important plant for many
species.
Elephants, like the sea otters, control a very important part of the ecosystem. Elephants are herbivores, which means they eat vegetation and the size of elephants means they need a lot of vegetation. Elephants eat entire acacia trees. With elephants knocking over these trees and uprooting them, it keeps the savanna from turning into a woodland or forest. Elephants controlling the tree population allow the grasses to thrive and support all of the grazing animals in the savanna like antelopes, wildebeests, and zebras. Without the Elephants controlling the tree population, the savanna would turn into a forest which would cause the grasses to not be as present creating issues for animals like zebras to find food. Elephants keep the ecosystem of a savanna the same and prevent it from changing into a different biome like a forest or woodland.
Elephants and Sea otters share similarities in their role as keystone species as they both control a population of a different species. With this control they are able to keep the ecosystem balance and allow other species to flourish and reproduce. Without these two species, these two areas of the world would look very different and have different species.