Functional Role of Keystone Species in Maintaining Forest Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity in Tropical Landscapes

Abstract

Keystone species play a critical role in shaping ecological processes that support biodiversity and ecosystem services in tropical forest landscapes. However, there is a lack of quantitative evaluations relating the abundance of keystone species to the maintenance of biodiversity. The aim of this study is to analyze the functional role of keystone species through the use of the GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) occurrence data. The species occurrence data collected in selected areas of tropical forests were worked through spatiotemporal filtering, ecological classification, and biodiversity indexing. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationships between abundance of keystone species and indicators of biodiversity. The results showed that there was a strong positive correlation between the abundance of keystone species and the Shannon diversity index (r = 0.82, p < 0.05). The species richness (151 species) and the diversity values (4.26) were higher in the study sites with a high occurrence of the keystone species than in the study sites with a low occurrence of the keystone species (84 species; 2.95 diversity values). Pollinators and seed dispersers were important functional groups in regulating habitats and maintaining trophic balance, thereby increasing ecosystem resilience. Spatial distribution analysis also revealed biodiversity hotspots where there was an overlap between keystone species and ecosystem stability. The results support a paradigm shift in tropical forest ecology where keystone species play disproportionately large roles and are key to preserving biodiversity and ecosystem services. Conservation strategies should, therefore, focus on the protection of keystone species to maintain long-term ecological resilience and ecosystem function under the increasing environmental disturbance.