Question

Study an ecosystem of your choice such as a meadow, a patch of forest, a garden , or an area of wetland. (If you cannot do this physically, do so virtually by reading about an ecosystem online. Determine and list five major plant species and five major animal species in your ecosystem. Write hypotheses about which of these species, if any, are indicator species. Which of them, if any, are keystone species

Answer 1

In a wetland ecosystem:

1- Indicator species: turtles

2- Keynote species: freshwater crayfish

Step-by-step explanation:

A wetland is an ecosystem either covered with water or saturated with water. Examples of plants living in wetland ecosystems include water lilies lotus, trees (e.g., swamp she-oak), mosquito fern, eelgrass (Vallisnaria spiralis), etc. Examples of animals living in wetlands include dragonflies, mosquitoes, alligators, salamanders, snakes, turtles, grouse, plover, etc. Alligators and freshwater crayfish can be considered keystone species because they are fundamental and their presence defines wetland ecosystems (without these species, wetlands would be dramatically impacted). Moreover, turtles can be considered indicator species because their abundance and distribution in a wetland is an indicator of environmental conditions. These animals (turtles) carry around different organisms (e.g., algae) that are eaten by other species (e.g., fish), and thus contribute to the homeostasis of the ecosystem.