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Question #46614
The Question
According to Paul Ehrlich’s Rivet Popper hypothesis, ecosystem stability is analogous to an airplane's flight safety. Consider a strictly stenothermal plant species that serves as the sole obligate mutualist for a specific pollinator wasp. If a prolonged heatwave breaches the plant's thermal threshold causing its extinction, which of the following best characterizes the subsequent ecological cascade?
Options
- A.
It acts as the loss of a 'rivet on the wing,' triggering the co-extinction of the pollinator wasp and disproportionately threatening ecosystem stability.
- B.
It acts as the loss of a 'rivet on the seat,' where the pollinator wasp undergoes immediate adaptive radiation to survive, maintaining ecosystem stability.
- C.
The extinction is primarily an example of alien species invasion, leading to the co-extinction of the wasp and a gradual decline in ecosystem resilience.
- D.
The stenothermal plant's extinction will increase the ecosystem's overall biodiversity by opening a new ecological niche for eurythermal plants.
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Correct Answer
Step-by-Step Solution
Explanation
How the Examiner Thinks
Regulatory_Failure
Understand how NOT, EXCEPT, and logical constraints are used to manipulate exam results.
Concepts Behind This Question
Thermal Tolerance Ranges|Ecological Succession Climax|Hydrarch vs Xerarch Convergence
Why This Question Is Tricky
Common Mistakes
Conceptual Pivot: Students often memorize the 'Evil Quartet' and 'Rivet Popper Hypothesis' as isolated concepts.
The trap lies in synthesizing thermal ecology with the Rivet Popper analogy and recognizing that obligate mutualists act as critical 'wing rivets'.
A common misconception is assuming the loss of a single plant species is always a 'rivet on the seat' (minor impact), failing to account for the cascading effect of co-extinction in obligate relationships.
Quick Facts About This Question
Question Information
| Subject | Biology |
| Chapter | Organisms and Populations - Class 12 |
| Concept | Thermal Tolerance Ranges |
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Cognitive Load | 5 |
| Target Solve Time | 120 sec |
| Access | Free |