Dictionary > Rivet Hypothesis

Rivet Hypothesis

Definition
noun
It is a theory that entails about the conditions of ecosystem wherein a significant loss of a certain species affects the functions and diversity of an ecological community.
Supplement
If certain biological areas lose several important species it can lead to a total collapse of ecosystem functions, thus this hypothesis presupposed that communities consist of relatively specialized species with limited ability to compensate each other thereby the vanished of a certain species are important to the performance of the ecosystem.

The rate of species loss affects the entire function of ecological unit. For example, using pesticide to remove non-specific density independent mortality of species would haphazardly remove many species that are more likely to have unfavorable effects in agro-ecosystem than to targeted control tactics that only removed few species.

Another example is when a destruction of the rich complex species in an ecological basin would lead to rapid change in global climatic patterns wherein agriculture remains greatly dependent on stable climate and human being stay behind on food, as a result, extinction of million species occurs and entrained famine wherein millions of human beings would perished.

Rivet hypothesis asserts that each species losses to an ecological unit can decrease ecosystem functions although the decrease is rather slow as more species are eliminated. In this depiction any loss of diversity is clearly noticeable.


You will also like...

Regulation of Biological Systems
Regulation of Biological Systems

Regulation of Biological Systems tutorials are focused on the modulation of biological systems from cell to population l..

Population Growth and Survivorship
Population Growth and Survivorship

This lesson looks at population attributes, regulation, and growth. It also covers population genetics, particularly gen..

dinosaurs
The Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs represented a major turn in the evolutionary development of organisms on Earth. The first dinosaurs were presu..

3D rendering of an antibody
Passive and Active Types of Immunity

Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell capable of producing a specific immune response to unique antigens. In thi..

Developmental Biology
Developmental Biology

Developmental biology is a biological science that is primarily concerned with how a living thing grows and attains matu..

Darwin's Finches - Natural Selection
Darwin and Natural Selection

This tutorial investigates the genetic diversity in more detail. It also delineates how certain alleles are favored over..

Related Articles...

No related articles found

See all Related Topics