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Question
Explain briefly the ‘rivet popper hypothesis’ of Paul Ehrlich.
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Solution
Paul Ehrlich proposed the rivet popper hypothesis to show the effect of biodiversity loss on the ecosystem. An airplane (ecosystem) has thousands of rivets. Popping of rivets (causing a species to become extinct) by passengers may not affect flight safety (Proper functioning of the ecosystem) in the beginning but the plane will become dangerously weak over a period of time. Removal of a rivet of a critical part like a wing (key species that derive major ecosystem functions) is obviously a more serious threat to flight safety than the loss of a few rivets on the seats or window inside the plane.
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| D. David Tilman | IV. Rivet popper hypothesis |
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