Question

Since sea otters are able to control the population of urchins, this allows for kelp to freely grow in those areas. Given this information, what term best describes the otter in the Aleutian Islands ecosystem?
producer, apex predator, decomposer, keystone species

Answer 1

The best term to describe the sea otter in the Aleutian Islands ecosystem is **keystone species**. Keystone species play a crucial role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community, and their presence or absence significantly impacts the ecosystem. In this case, sea otters help control the population of sea urchins, which allows kelp forests to thrive.