The keystone species concept revolutionized the way naturalists and ecologists looked at 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayOne of the key mechanisms of ecology revolved around the axiom of stability in an ecological community. “Stability increases as the number of connections increases” (MacArthur) or “rich fauna and flora… tend to be very stable because of the multiplicity of ecological checks and balances” (Watt). This axiom of stability has been used for years in ecology but had no real definition, so Paine tried to define these difficulties using events that occurred in the marine littoral area, which showed the complexity of the food web in a community. Paine experimented in the rocky intertidal zone extending from Alaska to Baja California, where he removed a dominant carnivore, the starfish Pinaster Ochraceus (Paine 1969.). Paine observed that with the removal of starfish, the species composition of the intertidal zone changed radically. He originally 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 African savannas and the Serengeti plains because they control tree populations. An example of a fundamental mutualism would be pollinators impacting the entire ecosystem through gene flow and dispersal. Since the introduction of the keystone species concept, research involving keystone species has focused on ways of identifying keystone species and the role they play in their ecosystem, in order to apply the keystone concept aimed at 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 about ecosystems through connections and networks, leading to the idea that some ecosystems may be more important to a region than others. By applying this concept to communities and ecosystems, ecologists want to make better decisions regarding management and conservation of disturbed landscapes. For conservationists and naturalists, the keystone concept identified keystone species for protection with the mindset, protect the keystones, maintain the ecosystem. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Although the keystone concept of the species changed the way ecologists looked at ecosystem interactions, it is also highly controversial. Some believe that those who advocate tagging key species are failing to advance the study of interaction forces in communities and protect biodiversity. Studies should instead focus more on the complexity of interactions in natural systems (Mills).