Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Steven Elliott -- Human's as a Keystone Species?

At the beginning of their existence, humans were just another species. As they evolved, they began to dominate other animals with tools and brainpower. Now, the world bends to the whims of mankind. This indicates that if humans are removed dramatic changes result in the varieties and population densities of all the other species in the community, which by definition makes humans a keystone species. Humans have forced their way into becoming one of the most important group of organisms in the world. Before man dominated the world, humans would not be classified as a keystone species but through time have forced their way to becoming one. Thousands of years ago, predator animals and Native Americans regulated the population of deer in the south. Now, without hunters, deer would become overpopulated, causing a disease and a reduction in the population, and then the cycle would repeat itself. This is a direct result of the over-hunting of predator animals such as wolves. Another example would be any invasive species. Without active human participation, the species would not be wreaking havoc on its new environment; however, without humans to combat this new threat, the species would take over. Therefore, if humans became extinct, there would be globally catastrophic consequences as the balance of many species rests in their hands, proving that they are, in fact, a keystone species. Early humans, however, were not as important to the state of other species and had little impact on the environment and other species and therefore were not a keystone species.

Steven Elliott

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