Keystone Plants and Fungi (Discover the Organisms Vital to Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity)

A fascinating companion book to Keystone Species!

Why are some plants and fungi more important to an ecosystem than others?

Because they’re keystone plants and fungi!

Every species has a role to play in an ecosystem, but some roles are more significant than others. In Keystone Plants and Fungi: Discover the Organisms Vital to Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity, young botanists examine the keystone plants that can make the difference between a thriving ecosystem and a collapsing one. Oak trees, baobab trees, Brazil nut trees, mangroves, saguaro cacti, and certain flowers, grasses, and fungi are all considered keystone species that other species depend upon.

In the 1960s, scientists discovered that keystone species have greater influence on the biodiversity in an ecosystem than other species. Their research revealed that not only do predators play this keystone role in regulating an ecosystem, but so do ecosystem engineers, herbivores, mutualists, and foundational species. Later, the jobs that plants, fungi, and microbes do as keystone species was discovered—this groundbreaking work changed the way we understand ecosystems and food webs.

In this book, learn about keystone plants and fungi—including what happens when they disappear—and examine the ongoing threats to these species and the science-based conservation practices that are in the works to save them.

Keystone Plants and Fungi includes hands-on activities and critical thinking exercises to help all types of learners gain a deeper understanding of keystone plants’ critical roles. These activities, a narrative writing style, fun facts, words-to-know, and primary source links combine to take readers on an exploration of keystone species around the world.

Additional materials include a glossary, a list of media for further learning, a selected bibliography, and index. All books are leveled for Guided Reading level and Lexile and align with Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.