A species being keystone species means that it has an extraordinary impact on a particular ecosystem comparative to its population. Suppose keystone species are absent in an ecosystem, the ecosystem can end up failing to exist due to the explosion of the prey population. An example of a keystone species is the American alligator, and it usually uses its tail to create burrows so that it can stay warm and upon moving away, water fills in the burrows, and other animals typically use it. Nevertheless, since American alligator is a predator, it also keeps in check the number of other species in the ecosystem.
Georgia pigtoe is a keystone species; this is because its filtration and other activities that it engages itself in offer vital services to other aquatic organisms. According to Deng (2018), the Georgia Pigtoe is facing global threats such as invasion by foreign species which has resulted in the population decline of the species