Animal architects as ecosystem engineers Animal architects as ecosystem engineers
Animal architects as ecosystem engineers Animal architects as ecosystem engineers
This chapter deals with the subject of builders at the community level. It assesses whether animal builders are important ecosystem engineers, and whether they support the concept of keystone species. It also examines whether animal builders, are net creators or destroyers of niches for other species, and whether they stabilise or destabilise ecosystems. Two further questions are raised for which there is very little evidence: do animal builders protect themselves against extinction, and how enduring is the legacy of their activity in an ecosystem?
Keywords: animal builders, animal building, bioturbation, aquatic sediments, terrestrial habitats, mima prairie, habitat modification, keystone species
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