Taylor Massey

Dr. Paine describes a keystone species as one who has a greater impact on their ecosystem than would be expected from a species of that size. These species are generally noticed when they are taken out of an ecosystem. This causes drastic changes within the ecosystem. Based on these definitions I believe that humans are the greatest keystone species on Earth. When separated into individuals, humans are only a very small portion of the ecosystem that we are a part of, yet one individual can have a huge impact on that ecosystem. Each person produces several tons of trash each year and destroys countless plants and animals. If we were to remove humans from the ecosystem, drastic changes would be observed. Many of the animals and plants that we eat would flourish. Many of the domesticated animals would become extinct while others would adapt back towards their more wild relatives. The impact would not just be on plants and animals however. The amount of pollutants that we put in the air and water would also be greatly reduced. In addition to the positive aspects of removing humans from the ecosystem, there would be many negative effects as well. A new species would take over the top of the food chain and many species that have become dependent on humans would die out. Over population would almost certainly occur in many animal populations as well.