> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.cascadepbs.org/llms.txt
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# Are Some Species More Important Than Others?
- URL: https://www.cascadepbs.org/show/its-okay-be-smart/specials/are-some-species-more-important-than-others-jlnvh6/
- Published: 2024-04-02T23:16:50.000Z
- Updated: 2025-08-20T09:56:14.000Z
- Description: Can an ecosystem survive without its keystone species?
- Author: Cascade PBS Staff
- Tags: Be Smart, #ZZZ_Show_dc38a6e9-266e-43c1-b647-45e7445fad27, #v1.7, #ZZZ_Special_df95291e-4e70-4114-bbd1-cde5116dd708, #special

We explore the universal rules of life that tie together Earth’s living systems. Traveling from Africa’s Serengeti plains to the nearly extinct prairies of the western U.S. to discover the unexpected species that determine the very existence of these places. Can an ecosystem survive without its keystone species? Can we restore endangered human cultures by bringing back a nearly-extinct ecosystem?