Joseph S.

Strictly according to Dr. Paine’s definition of a keystone species, humanity should be considered a keystone species because if we are removed, dramatic changes will result. The difficulty in understanding humanity’s keystone status is that we are always taking advantage of our surroundings in positive and/or negative ways. Since Dr. Paine’s experiment concluded that the removal of the starfish ultimately had a negative impact on the intertidal zone ecosystem, it would lead us to think that, as a keystone species, removing humans from the ecosystem would be a detriment to the planet. The Gaia Hypothesis argues that the Earth’s ecosystem is self-sustainable without us. Some believe that we are the biggest problem for our planet and eliminating our species would be a great benefit to the Earth. A more positive outlook on humanity is that by accepting that we are a keystone species, we can work to ensure the survival of other keystone species and, ultimately, maintain our planet’s biodiversity. A second interpretation of humanity as a keystone species is that our actions have an environmental effect disproportionate to our biomass. We can perform global-scale environmental alterations that can either positively or negatively affect biodiversity. If we wish to undertake the role of a keystone species, we should do so with the understanding that we will be preservers, not opportunists.