Predators help in maintaining species diversity in a community by

Predators help in maintaining species diversity in a community by reducing the intensity of competition among competing prey species. In the rocky intertidal communities of the American Pacific Coast, the starfish Pisaster is an important predator. In a field experiment when all the starfish were removed from an enclosed intertidal area, more than 10 species of invertebrates became extinct within a year because of interspecific competition