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Question #46619
The Question
Read the following statements regarding the relationship between biodiversity and ecological stability, integrating David Tilman’s field experiments and Paul Ehrlich’s Rivet Popper hypothesis. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?
Options
- A.
A highly diverse ecosystem exhibits damped predator-prey oscillations because functional redundancy provides alternate pathways for energy flow.
- B.
According to Tilman’s long-term ecosystem experiments, plots with higher species diversity showed less year-to-year variation in total biomass.
- C.
In the context of the Rivet Popper hypothesis, the continuous extinction of minor species will not affect the ecosystem's predator-prey equilibrium as long as the keystone species remain intact.
- D.
Population stability and resilience to trophic oscillations are emergent properties that are directly dependent on the species richness of the community.
Check Your Answer
Correct Answer
Step-by-Step Solution
Explanation
How the Examiner Thinks
Comparative_Analysis
Sharpen your ability to evaluate multiple scenarios and distinguish between competing potential answers.
Concepts Behind This Question
Trophic Levels|Standing Crop|Energy Flow
Why This Question Is Tricky
Common Mistakes
Conceptual Pivot: Students often misinterpret the Rivet Popper hypothesis by assuming that only the loss of keystone species (rivets on the wings) leads to ecosystem collapse.
The trap relies on the 'Common Half-Truth' that minor species are ecologically expendable.
In reality, Ehrlich's analogy emphasizes that the cumulative loss of minor species depletes functional redundancy, eventually causing catastrophic destabilization of trophic oscillations.
Quick Facts About This Question
Question Information
| Subject | Biology |
| Chapter | Organisms and Populations - Class 12 |
| Concept | Age Pyramids (Stable vs Declining) |
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Cognitive Load | 5 |
| Target Solve Time | 120 sec |
| Access | Free |