Ecology And Environment

- A keystone species plays a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecosystem. Their removal can cause major disruptions.
- Removal of a keystone species often leads to a collapse of population balance and possibly extinction of species that depend on it, so (C) is correct.
- (A) is incorrect because biodiversity usually decreases, not increases, after keystone species removal.
- (B) is incorrect; food webs become destabilized without keystone species.
- (D) is incorrect; significant changes usually occur in the ecosystem.
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