Keystone Species of the Deep Sea

The deep sea relies on keystone species to maintain balance. Through predation, competition and symbiosis, changes in the population of one species affects the population of another. But at the heart of these diverse and vibrant deep sea communities are the keystone species, whose presence keeps the balance in the ecosystem by determining the numbers of other species. Without keystone species, ecosystems would look very different, and if they disappeared, the oceans would be more vulnerable to environmental change and would experience a rapid decline in biodiversity. The three different kinds of keystone species, the predators, ecosystem engineers, and mutualists, have very different roles to play in order to maintain their ecosystems. Let’s take a closer look at these, and examine the keystones of the deep sea.

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