Question

Jaguars are a keystone species in the Amazon. Describe how they can be so essential to the ecosystem despite being significantly less abundant than many other species.

Short answer

As a keystone species, Jaguars help maintains forest ecology by preventing increase in the prey populations.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1. Definition of keystone species

A keystone species is one whose existence is essential for preserving biodiversity in an ecosystem and maintaining the structure of an ecological community.

Step 2. Role of jaguar as keystone species 

The jaguar is regarded as a keystone species because it helps to maintain the structural integrity of forest ecosystems by controlling the populations of herbivores and granivores. The jaguar has been listed as near-threatened throughout Central and South America in recent years, yet it remains a keystone species due to its varied diet, which serves to balance mammalian organisms in the forest ecosystem by eating eighty-seven different species as prey. Any mammal that begins to thrive becomes an easy meal for the jaguar, causing its numbers to dwindle. This also contributes to a high level of species diversity.