Keystone species are super important for keeping forests balanced. They help support a variety of plants and animals and keep nature running smoothly. A great example of this is the sea otter in kelp forests by the coast.

Sea otters mainly eat sea urchins, which are small sea creatures that munch on kelp. When there are fewer sea otters, either because of hunting or changes in their environment, the number of sea urchins can grow out of control. This spike in sea urchins leads to too much grazing on the kelp. As a result, the kelp forests can get damaged, and these forests are important homes for many different sea animals. Losing kelp forests not only reduces the number of different species but also can harm water quality and provide less shelter for fish and other tiny creatures.

Keystone species also help make ecosystems richer by encouraging different kinds of plants and animals to live together. For example, in places like the African savanna, big plant-eating animals like elephants keep certain plants from taking over. They do this by walking on and eating some of the vegetation, which helps create different types of habitats. This setup allows many species to flourish.

In short, the health of forest ecosystems is closely connected to the presence of keystone species. They can directly affect their environment by what they eat or indirectly keep things balanced in nature. Knowing how these interactions work is important for protecting our natural spaces and managing ecosystems well.