Amanda Unger- Humans A Keystone Species

If humans were removed over an interval of time, they would prove to be a keystone species, comparable to starfish in a tidal zone. Humans are the starfish, controlling all aspects of the ecosystem. Dramatic results would show in the man-made landscape that has been created over the years of human inhabitants. The removal of humans would impact the ecosystem positively. Plants, trees, animals, and water could all move as they did before humans; they could take over. Wildlife would flourish, the air would be cleaner and all man made traces would dissolve away over time. For thousands of years earth turned without humans making any sort of "footprint". Humans, earth's keystone species, evolved over time making dramatic changes to the earth as a whole. If humans were taken away, out of earth's picture, change would occur. The earth could bounce back to what it once was, or it could completely change, sparking a new keystone species to arise. Humans play a large role in the earth ecosystem, intruding, evolving, and creating new(sometimes good and sometimes bad) diversity.