Keystone species

• Biologie
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 3

Interactions in ecosystems

Limiting factors 

Carrying capacity

Keystone species

Limiting factors and carrying capacity

Carrying capacity: the largest population an area can support with its resources

Limiting factor: resource or environmental condition that determines the maximum size of a population

The abundance or magnitude of a limiting factor determines the carrying capacity of an ecosystem for a specific population

Overpopulation

Overpopulation: occurs when a population exceeds the carrying capacity of an ecosystem 

=

when there are not enough resources in the ecosystem to sustain a population of a certain size

Population 

stabilization

Population 

overshoot

Exponential growth

Carrying 

capacity

Population 

decline

Population 

recovery

Keystone species

Species that play a critical role in maintaining the structure and diversity of an ecosystem

Keystone species examples

Predators and apex-predators

Ecosystem engineers

Sea otters and kelp forests

Assignment

1. Go to the "Kelp forest food web" assignment in Google Classroom 
2. Study the differences between a kelp forest food web with sea otters and another one without them
   
3. Construct a diagram similar to Figure 9.22 of your text book
4. Construct a diagram similar to Figure 9.23 of your text book
5. Construct a summary table similar to Table 9.6 of your text book
6. Hand in your work in Google Classroom