The world is full of important, often underrated animals. This series describes cornerstone species of different ecosystems, including earthworms, bees, sharks, and rodents, and their place in the larger food web. Each animal has an important role to play. Some serve as decomposers or pollinators. Others act as predators or preys. Each book explains how these animals help their environments, what would happen without them, and ways people are working to protect them. Additional features include infographics showing how the animals affect their ecosystems, a table of contents, informative captions, a phonetic glossary, an index, an introduction to the author, and sources for further research.