Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Free Essays on The Wars Of The Roses

J. R. Lander The Wars of the Roses New York G. P. Putnam’s Sons 1966 In medieval England from 1455 to 1487 The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars fought between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The name Wars of the Roses comes from the badges used by the two houses, the white rose for the Yorkists and the red rose for the Lancastrians. The entire war was based on the two houses fighting for the throne and who was rightfully king. The author of this book is J. R. Lander; the book doesn’t cite where he was born or his time of birth. The book is vague on his background but states that he was a traveler and traveled to England to write this book. Most of the evidence that he uses to back up his writing is from biased opinions, wild rumor, meretricious propaganda, and the foulest of slander as well as historical truth. To him what people thought, their affections and their prejudices were often as important in history as truth itself. In this book Lander draws on contemporary sources to argue that the feud between the Yorks and the Lancasters was a fairly minor event to people at the time, overshadowed by local conflicts and the Black Death. The book is organized by beginning with background on the Lancasters and Yorks. There’s a very intricate discussion on the battles and why they happened, and it describes the time of peace after the civil war. It covers the life of many rulers and England ’s Civil War. It shows just how power hungry people can be. Lander’s thesis is The Wars of the Roses was a very bloody set of battles that spanned many decades between the Lancasters and the Yorks. The Wars of the Roses was begun when King Henry suddenly lapsed into a state of catatonia in 1450. This provided an opening for a powerful faction headed by Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. Richard Neville wanted to make Richard, Duke of York, king. Ironically Richard of York had a better hereditar... Free Essays on The Wars Of The Roses Free Essays on The Wars Of The Roses J. R. Lander The Wars of the Roses New York G. P. Putnam’s Sons 1966 In medieval England from 1455 to 1487 The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars fought between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The name Wars of the Roses comes from the badges used by the two houses, the white rose for the Yorkists and the red rose for the Lancastrians. The entire war was based on the two houses fighting for the throne and who was rightfully king. The author of this book is J. R. Lander; the book doesn’t cite where he was born or his time of birth. The book is vague on his background but states that he was a traveler and traveled to England to write this book. Most of the evidence that he uses to back up his writing is from biased opinions, wild rumor, meretricious propaganda, and the foulest of slander as well as historical truth. To him what people thought, their affections and their prejudices were often as important in history as truth itself. In this book Lander draws on contemporary sources to argue that the feud between the Yorks and the Lancasters was a fairly minor event to people at the time, overshadowed by local conflicts and the Black Death. The book is organized by beginning with background on the Lancasters and Yorks. There’s a very intricate discussion on the battles and why they happened, and it describes the time of peace after the civil war. It covers the life of many rulers and England ’s Civil War. It shows just how power hungry people can be. Lander’s thesis is The Wars of the Roses was a very bloody set of battles that spanned many decades between the Lancasters and the Yorks. The Wars of the Roses was begun when King Henry suddenly lapsed into a state of catatonia in 1450. This provided an opening for a powerful faction headed by Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. Richard Neville wanted to make Richard, Duke of York, king. Ironically Richard of York had a better hereditar...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

What Makes Aphid Reproduction So Efficient

What Makes Aphid Reproduction So Efficient Aphids thrive by the sheer force of their numbers. Their secret: Because just about every insect predator looks at them as an appetizer, their only chance of survival is to outnumber them. If aphids are good at one thing, its reproducing. Consider this fact from entomologist Stephen A. Marshall in his book Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity​: In optimal environmental conditions and lacking any predators, parasites, or disease, a single aphid could produce 600 billion descendants in one season. Just how do these tiny sap suckers multiply so prolifically? They can change the way they reproduce and how they develop as environmental conditions change. Aphids Can Reproduce Without Mating (No Males Needed!) Parthenogenesis, or asexual reproduction, is the first key to an aphids long family tree. With few exceptions, aphids in spring and summer are all females. The first wingless matriarchs hatch from eggs in early spring (from eggs laid late the prior year to overwinter), equipped to reproduce without the need for male mates. Within a few weeks, these females produce more females, and soon after that, the third generation arrives. And so on, and so on, and so on. The aphid population expands exponentially without a single male. Aphids Save Time by Giving Birth to Live Young The life cycle goes much quicker if you skip a step. Aphid mothers are viviparous, meaning they give birth to live young during the spring and summer, rather than laying eggs during these seasons. Their offspring reach reproductive maturity much sooner since they dont have to sit around waiting to hatch. Later in the season the females and males both develop.   Aphids Dont Develop Wings Unless They Need Them Most or all of an aphids life is spent feeding on a host plant. It doesn’t need to go very far, so walking suffices. Producing wings is a protein-intensive task, so aphids wisely conserve their resources and their energy and remain wingless. The aphids do quite well in their apterous state until food resources run low or the host plant gets so crowded with aphids that the group must disperse. Only then do they need to grow some wings. When the Going Gets Tough, the Aphids Get Going High populations, which occur quickly in light of the aphids prolific reproduction, lead to less than optimal conditions for survival. When there are too many aphids on a host plant, they begin competing with each other for food. Host plants covered in aphids are rapidly depleted of their sap, and the aphids must move on. Hormones trigger the production of winged aphids, which can then take flight and establish new populations.   Aphids Adapt Their Life Cycle to Environmental Conditions All would be for naught if the aphids in cold climates just froze to death at years end. As days become shorter and temperatures fall, aphids begin producing winged females and males. They find suitable mates, and the females lay eggs on perennial host plants. The eggs will carry on the family line, producing next years first batch of wingless females.