Q. What is a keystone species?
A) A species which adds upto only a small proportion of the total biomass of a community, yet has a huge impact on the community’s organization and survival.
B) A common species that has plenty of biomass, yet has a fairly low impact on the community’s organization
C) A rare species that has minimal impact on the biomass and on other species in the community
D) A dominant species that constitutes a large proportion of the biomass and which affects many other species.
Explanation
Species having much greater influence on community characteristics, relative to their low abundance or biomass are called keystone species, e. g., in tropical forests, figs are Keystone species. Removal of these species causes serious disruption in the functioning of community.
Reviewed by Dr. Abubacker
Physics Educator & NEET/JEE Specialist
Ph.D. in Physics with 19+ years of teaching experience.