Question

What do you mean by ‘Rivet Popper’ hypothesis ?

Hint:

In the exam, clearly identify what the "Airplane", "Rivets", and "Popping" represent to score full marks.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Ecologists use analogies to explain complex ecological dependencies.
Stanford ecologist Paul Ehrlich proposed this hypothesis to illustrate how species loss affects ecosystem stability.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
1. Analogy: In an airplane (ecosystem), all parts are joined together using thousands of rivets (species).
2. Rivet Popping: If every passenger starts popping a rivet to take home (species extinction), it may not affect flight safety initially.
3. Critical Loss: As more rivets are removed, the plane becomes dangerously weak over time.
4. Key Species: Loss of rivets on the wings (key species that drive major ecosystem functions) is more critical than the loss of rivets on the seats (non-key species).
Step 3: Final Answer:
The hypothesis states that while an ecosystem can tolerate the loss of some species, the loss of "key" species can lead to a catastrophic collapse of ecosystem stability.