Elephants
Definition
Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. They are known as keystone species because they significantly influence the environment and biodiversity around them.
Analogy
Think of elephants like a gardener in a garden. Just as a gardener prunes, waters, and plants seeds to maintain the garden's health, elephants shape their environment by knocking down trees (allowing grasslands to spread), spreading seeds through their dung, and creating water holes with their footprints that serve as microhabitats for other species.
Related terms
Keystone Species: A species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend. If it were removed, the ecosystem would change drastically.
Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Ecosystem: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
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