Marine biologist Dr. James Estes researched sea otters and their

Question

habitats in the Aleutian Islands of the North Pacific Ocean. Sea
otters feed on animals such as crabs and urchins. Islands with sea
otters contained a lot of kelp, a seaweed that is an important food
source for fish and other sea animals. However, Islands without otters
had large populations of urchins but no kelp since sea urchins feed on
this seaweed. 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? (1 point)
keystone species
producer
decomposer
apex predat

Answer 1

or

The term that best describes the otter in the Aleutian Islands ecosystem is keystone species. Keystone species are species that have a disproportionately large effect on their environment relative to their abundance. In this case, sea otters play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem by controlling the population of sea urchins, which in turn allows for the growth of kelp, a key food source for other sea animals. Without sea otters, the ecosystem would be drastically altered.