Beavers, as keystone engineers, create dams that form ponds, which can enhance biodiversity by providing aquatic habitats for various species such as fish, amphibians, and birds. These ponds also help in flood control and water retention, promoting healthier riparian zones and improving water quality through sediment trapping. The removal of beavers from an ecosystem could lead to decreased pond habitats, resulting in reduced biodiversity and the loss of species reliant on these environments. Furthermore, the absence of beaver dams could increase erosion and water flow variability, ultimately destabilizing the surrounding ecosystem.
Beavers, large members of the rodent family in North America, are often referred to as “ecosystem/keystone engineers” by wildlife managers. Ecosystem engineers are described as animals that create, alter, or destroy a habitat. Beavers contribute to river ecosystems by bringing down old and dead trees along riverbanks. They use these trees to make their dams. Although these dams are primarily used for protection and food storage, scientists report that these dams change the surrounding environment in different ways. Given this information, in three to five sentences, describe a potential benefit that beavers contribute to the ecosystem as keystone engineers and describe a plausible impact that the removal of beavers could have on the surrounding ecosystem. (4 points) four sentence's
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