Actually, there is usually niche diversification rather
than niche overlap in a community where species are living in close proximity. As seen
in the famous experiment by Gause in the early 1900's, when two species live in the same
environment with the same niche, one lives and thrives and the other dies off. This is
the competitive exclusion principle. He worked with two species of Paramecium--P.
Aurelia and P.Caudatum. They were in the same test tube with one food supply. The more
successful species P.Aurelia lived and the other one died. In nature, organisms
generally have their own unique niches, rather than overlapping those niches with other
species. This leads to a more successful survival rate. For example, Darwin's finches in
the Galapagos show that within a single tree(habitat)due to niche diversification,
species may feed on the ground, at the top of the tree, or in the middle of the tree.
Some may feed on insects, some on small, medium or large seeds. Their beaks too, reflect
how evolution shaped these variations so that their niches rarely overlap when
feeding.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
would it be reasonable to predict that several species living naturally in a natural community would have a high degree of niche overlap?
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
In A Doll's House, what do you think of Nora's relationships with the different men in her life?
It would be safe to argue that Nora's relationship to the
various men in the play is almost predictable. Nora is a woman groomed to be a sort of
conversation piece rather than a wife and mother.
The way
she talks, the way she conducts herself, and the manner in which she expresses her
emotions are typical of a woman whose sole purpose in life is to please
everybody.
We can also argue that this desire is, indeed,
altruistic. She really does not expect anything in return, except the natural desire
that good people wish to receive by witnessing how their choices helped others. However,
nowhere in the play can we get any form of proof that she gets even that
much.
When she helped her father, he died. When she risked
her dignity to help Torvald, he rejected her. When she complied with the requirements
that Krogstad put upon her, he laughed at her. Even when she counseled Dr. Rank and
tried to make him feel better, he simply isolated
himself.
Therefore, we can conclude that Nora's
relationship to the different men in her life is primarily aimed to be a nurturer and a
support system. Sadly for her, society has another thing coming. She ends up leaving,
wondering what else life could have in stock for a woman like
her.
Why was The Awakening so controversial when it was first published?
This is a good question, and to understand it, you need a
historical lesson, too. Chopin wrote her sexually charged novel (hence the title) in
1899, on the cusp of repressive Victorianism. In fact, it was so controversial that the
literary community largely ignored its publication; it was her second, and last
novel.
Part of the scandal is content. Edna Pontillier, a
wife and mother, commits every 'sin' of the age. She has an affair, she dresses
indecently, she lives on her own, fights convention and finally commits suicide (sorry
for the spoiler if you haven't read it). It's widely regarded as a piece of feminisit
literature, well before its time. But, I think a major part of its controversy is that
Edna eschewed her duties as conventional wife and mother, choosing instead to live life
on her own terms and disregard societal expectations. A secondary explanation is Edna's
experience of a physical and sexual awakening, a scandalous disclosure in the late
1800's. Finally, her suicide. Back then, religion played a major part in societal
expectations, and suicide would have been regarded as a major
taboo.
Hope that helps.
Monday, November 5, 2012
How is Naturalism displayed in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World?
As a belief that the world can be explained in scientific
terms without supernatural or spiritual explanations, Naturalism discounts the existence
of God. Under the belief of Naturalism, it is man who makes prinicples, not any
deity.
In the New World of Aldous Huxley's Brave
New World, time is measured from the time that Henry Ford created the
assembly line for manufacturing the Model T Ford. The sign of the T has
replaced the Christian sign of the cross. Like Ford's assembly line, babies are
manufactured in the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre; there is no need
for procreation sanctioned by any God because genetic engineering has taken its place.
Hypnopoedia, or sleep conditioning, has replaced religious instruction; the Solidarity
Service serves as a parody of the Christian services as soma is
taken as communion; Obstacle Golf and other consumer activities have replaced any
activities connected to nature. In short, everyone and everything is manufactured
scientifically. And, when people die, they are recycled into
gases.
Ten World Controllers run the New World, and
science dictates the lives of the residents of this world. They control this world with
the feelies, depression is controlled with soma, and the desire for
motherhood by artificial fertility. The advancement of science has affected all
humanity.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
How does Shakespeare present the theme of conflict in Macbeth?
There are many different possible approaches you could
take to this question, but to my mind, the most interesting example of conflict in this
play is the internal conflict that Macbeth himself faces after receiving the prophecy of
the witches. Note how this finds its natural expression most clearly in Act I scene 7,
in the soliloquy where Macbeth debates whether to act or not to act, and the various
consequences of both options.
Macbeth quite clearly shows
that he himself is vastly tempted to act on the prophecy. He even says that he would be
willing to "jump the life to come" or risk the eternal consequences of committing
regicide if he could guarantee that the crime could be carried out swiftly and without
reprisals. However, when he begins to think about the consequences of such a crime, his
ambition is halted as he thinks of Duncan's goodness to him and the consequences of
killing somebody who is a guest in his household and somebody who is incredibly
virtuous:
Besides, this
Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath
been
So clear in his great office, that his
virtues
Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongu'd,
against
The deep damnation of his
taking-off...
Thus Macbeth
does show fear of killing a king who is recognised, both on earth and in heaven, as
being so good. His soliloquy ends with a reflection on the way that ambition can often
propel us into dangerous ground:
I have no spur
To
prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition,
which o'earleaps itself
And falls on
th'other--
Thus we see the
natural hesitation and fear within Macbeth as he struggles with his own inner conflict
about what to do with the prophecy he has received. It is of course only the persuasion
and cajoling of his wife (another form of conflict) that convinces or shames him into
acting.
Find f(x) if f'(x)=11e^x/(11+e^x).
The function we have to find out is called primitive and
it is noted as F(x). To determine F(x), we'll solve the indefinite integral using
substitution technique:
11+e^x =
t
We'll differentiate both
sides:
e^xdx = dt
Int
11e^xdx/(11+e^x) = 11*Int dt/t
11*Int dt/t = 11*ln |t| +
C
We'll replace t by 11+e^x and we'll apply power property
of logarithms:
F(x) = Int 11e^xdx/(11+e^x) =
ln [(11+e^x)^11] + C
Thursday, November 1, 2012
What are five hyperboles in Macbeth?
I'm sure you can
find more than five, but Malcom's deceptive descriptions of himself to Macduff in Act IV
scene iii should suffice. With each argument Macduff provides for Malcom's becoming king
of Scotland, Malcom provides a scathing, hyperbolic image.
"...black Macbeth
will seem as pure as snow...being compared to my confineless harms."
(52-54)
"...there's no bottom, none, in my voluptuousness..."
(60-61)
"a stanchless avarice" (78)
"I should pour the sweet milk of
concord into he'll, uproar the universal peace, confound all unity on earth."
(97-99)
Macduff responds to all of this: "Fit to govern! No, not to
live!"
All of these (and more if you look for them) are pretty
extreme exaggerations.