How do Saturn's many moons affect its rings?

Answer 1

The gravity of the moons helps to give the rings their distinctive shape. Some of the moons, due to volcanic activity and gravitational friction from Saturn, spew out tons of material into space that then adds ice and/or methane to the rings.

Beyond that, some moons around ringed planets actually "shepard" the debris rings to maintain the ring-like structure. The two Saturn moons Prometheus and Pandora are so called "shepard moons" that maintain Saturn's faint "F" ring.

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Orbital resonances

Answer 2

Saturn's moons can create gaps in its rings due to their gravitational influence, causing material to concentrate in certain areas or be pushed out of the way. Moonlets or shepherd moons can also shape and maintain the structure of the rings through their gravitational forces, such as keeping particles in line or forming ringlets. Additionally, moons can create resonance effects that cause waves and patterns in the rings.