Struggle of Existence
Essay by review • December 12, 2010 • Essay • 494 Words (2 Pages) • 1,109 Views
Charles Darwin in his book On Natural Selection surely states that he is convinced that the whole economy of nature, with its specifics on distribution, rarity, profusion, extinction, and variation are displaced and misunderstood through the face of nature. It is through the "struggle of existence" which he explains his understanding and why the world is lived through such a diversified way, also called Natural Selection. He likes to use the example:
" A plant on the edge of a desert is said
to struggle for life against the drought,
though more properly it
should be said to be dependent
on the moisture."
In relating to this, the plant is not in a stage of distress, but is striving to adapt to the environment and climate. This clearly proves his theory of evolution, because the plant is changing the way it lives to adapt to its environment. And through enough time this species will change very slowly as the environment is changing, and its offspring will start to spread in a new structure of body, as well as a new function. I say they change their structure because a function can only do well if they are built right. For example, a bird can't fly if it doesn't have wings. And, again, the way something operates changes because of the environment. Therefore, if a plant or animal changes the way they are then their offspring will be abundant in spite of natural selection.
I know the "struggle of existence" might sound bleak, but actually, Darwin says, "...Every organic being naturally increases at so high a rate, that if not destroyed, the earth would soon be covered by the progeny of one species." In by saying this he is claiming the death of some offspring is a beneficial fixation for all species to be balanced. It is because of natural selection which one species doesn't dominate immensely over the extinction of other species.
The thought of a species of struggling to stay alive can be a very profound concept, because every species depends on another species. For instance, Darwin knows best to use this example:
"... Several seedling [mistletoe], growing close together
on the same branch,
...
...