While the most abundant and dominant species within a particular ecosystem is often crucial in perpetuating the ecosystem, a “keystone” species, here defined as one whose effects are much larger than would be predicted from its appearance, also play a vital role. But because complex species interactions may be involved, identifying a keystone species by removing the species and observing changes in the ecosystem is problematic.
It might seem that certain traits would clearly define a species as a keystone species; for example, Pisaster ochraceus is often a keystone predator because it consumes and suppresses mussel populations, which in the absence of this starfish can be a dominant species. But such predation on a dominant or potentially dominant species occurs in systems that do as well as in systems that do not have species that play keystone roles. Moreover, whereas P. ochraceus occupies an unambiguous keystone role on wave-exposed rocky headlands, in more wave-sheltered habitats the impact of P. ochraceus predation is weak or nonexistent, and at certain sites sand burial is responsible for eliminating mussels. Keystone status appears to depend on context, whether of particular geography or of such factors as community diversity (for example, a reduction in species diversity may thrust more of the remaining species into keystone roles) and length of species interaction (since newly arrived species in particular may dramatically affect ecosystem).
Q32:
Which of the following, if true, would most clearly support the argument about keystone status advanced in the last sentence of the passage (lines 15 – 19)?黄色部分
A. A species of bat is primarily responsible for keeping insect populations within an ecosystem low, and the size of the insect population in turn affects bird species within that ecosystem.
B. A species of iguana occupies a keystone role on certain tropical islands, but does not play that role on adjacent tropical islands that are inhabited by a greater number of animal species.
C. Close observation of a savannah ecosystem reveals that more species occupy keystone roles within that ecosystem than biologists had previously believed.
D. As a keystone species of bee becomes more abundant, it has a larger effect on the ecosystem it habits.
E. A species of mouse that occupies a keystone role in a prairie habitat develops coloration patterns that camouflage it from potential predators.
B项adjacent tropical islands 对应原文particular geography ；a greater number of animal species对应原文community diversity；并且选项例子中species的验证正如原文所说newly arrived species。而A项只是说明一个生物链现象。作者: windows10 时间: 2011-3-26 21:10
B正确，但理解与楼上不同。
B选项只对应 species diversity这一项，原文说有可能diversity减少，使更多的剩余的物种成为keystone, 选项B中的adjacent tropical islands that are inhabited by a greater number of animal species与原文情况相反，物种的diversity增加使iguana occupies不再是keystone.
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