In Paul Ehrlich's 'Rivet Popper hypothesis' comparing an ecosystem to an airplane, what do the 'rivets on the wings' represent?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. Keystone species that perform critical driving functions within the ecosystem

- Airplane = Ecosystem,
- Rivets holding parts together = Species.
  1. Step 1: Stanford ecologist Paul Ehrlich formulated the 'Rivet Popper hypothesis' using an airplane analogy:
  2. Step 2: Removing rivets (popping rivets/causing species extinction) may initially have minor consequences if thousands of rivets remain.
  3. Step 3: However, removing rivets from critical structures like the airplane's wings directly compromises flight safety and causes catastrophic crash.
  4. Step 4: In the ecosystem, 'rivets on the wings' symbolize keystone species, species that exert disproportionate regulatory control over community structure and function.
Answer
Keystone species that perform critical driving functions within the ecosystem
Why not the others: 'Alien invasive species...' are novel introduced agents, not original holding rivets of the plane; 'Decomposer bacteria...' are general ecological components, not specifically the critical wing rivets; 'Parasites that cause epidemics...' are disease-causing organisms, not keystone community drivers.

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