Definition for Rivet hypothesis
From Biology Forums Dictionary
An alternative to the diversity-stability hypothesis. In this model, species are like the rivets on an airplane, with each species playing a small but critical role in keeping the plane (the ecosystem) airborne. The loss of a rivet weakens the plane and causes it to lose a little airworthiness. The loss of a few rivets could probably be tolerated, while the loss of more rivets would prove critical to the airplane's function.