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 3-5 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.
One potential benefit that beavers contribute to the ecosystem as keystone engineers is the creation of wetlands. The dams they build slow down and store water, creating habitats for a variety of plant and animal species. These wetlands also help regulate water flow, reduce flooding downstream, and improve water quality by filtering out pollutants.
If beavers were removed from an ecosystem, there could be significant impacts on the surrounding environment. Without beavers building dams and wetlands, there would be a loss of habitat for numerous species that depend on these unique ecosystems. Additionally, the absence of beavers could disrupt the natural water flow and lead to increased erosion of riverbanks and loss of biodiversity. Overall, the removal of beavers as ecosystem engineers could have cascading effects on the entire ecosystem.