I think that the abilities of humans, both destructive and creative, prove that we are indeed a keystone species. Humans have always changed the environment to suit themselves in ways that make life easier, more productive, profitable, and sometimes just more fun. As Dr. Paines experiment illustrated, humans can recognize a "problem" and "do" something about it, in this case, removing starfish from a tidal pool where mussels live and watching for any changes.
A consequence of our exploding population and need for resources, we have to mine, farm, manufacture, and build. These processes are rarely beneficial to other species and we must work diligently to minimize the impact we have on them and also to improve what we have left for them whenever possible. We sure are a meddlesome species.
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