The keystone species concept revolutionized the way naturalists and ecologists thought about the study of ecology. Ecology has been defined as the study of organisms in relation to each other and to the environment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay One of the key ecological mechanisms revolved around the axiom of stability in an ecological community. “Stability increases as the number of links increases” (MacArthur) or “the richness of flora and fauna…tends to be very stable because of the multiplicity of ecological checks and balances” (Watt). This axiom of stability had been used in ecology for years but had no real definition, so Paine sought to define these difficulties using events in the marine littoral zone, which showed the complexity of the food web of a community. Paine conducted experiments in the rocky intertidal zone stretching from Alaska to Baja California, where he eliminated a dominant carnivore, the sea star Pinaster Ochraceus (Paine 1969.). Paine observed that the removal of sea stars dramatically changed the species composition of the intertidal zone. He initially defined keystone species as "a species on which other species in an ecosystem are largely dependent, such that if it were removed, the ecosystem would change dramatically." Although Paine coined the term "keystone species" using a carnivorous predator, a keystone can be a carnivore, herbivore, predator, prey, or mutualist. For example, elephants are a keystone species in the African savannahs and Serengeti plains by controlling the population of trees. An example of a key mutualist would be pollinators which impact the entire ecosystem through gene flow and dispersal. Since the introduction of the keystone species concept, research involving keystone species has focused on ways to identify keystone species and the role they play in their ecosystem, in order to apply the keystone concept to various aspects of ecosystem management. Ecologists have explored ways to apply this concept not only to a species but also to communities and ecosystems. Mouquet, illustrated the key concept of ecosystems through links and networks, which lead to the idea that some ecosystems might be more important to a region than others. By applying this concept to community and ecosystems, ecologists aim to make better decisions about managing and conserving disturbed landscapes. For ecologists and naturalists, the keystone concept identified keystone species to protect with the mindset, protect keystones, maintain the ecosystem. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Although the keystone species concept has changed the way ecologists think about interactions between ecosystems, it is also highly controversial. Some believe that those who advocate for keystone species labeling fail to advance the study of interaction forces within communities and protect biodiversity. Instead, studies should focus more on the complexity of interactions in natural systems (Mills).