2 research outputs found
Eroticism in Theognis
I will be examining the Theognidean corpus for contexts relating to eroticism. These include an examination of the use of the words Eros (love), Aphrodite, Philos (dear/friend), Hate, and Boy. I will keep in mind a number of cross-contextual questions during my examination. These include: Which ideas for love are used in relation to Boy? What is the difference between using masculine Eros and feminine Aphrodite as evidenced by the context of the poetry? I will first examine poems that use the word Eros and its cognates, and see that Eros occupies on the spectrum of love positions in the extremities, positions not only harmful to one’s social station but also those that one is sometimes forcibly driven to engage in. In the next section, we will see that the use of Aphrodite in the selected Theognidean poetry indicates that Aphrodite occupies a position that is neither extreme nor external; her effects being felt internally when refused or resisted are not so great that they cannot be overcome or dealt with. After a comparison of references to Eros and Aphrodite, I will show that Aphrodite is a passive element, not a true agent, and that Eros is active and an agent. Following this, we will see that Philos in the Theognidea occupies thematic space that keeps itself from overpowering and overwhelming boundaries, as they exist between humans and are not resultant of the intervention of gods. The next section concerns itself with Hate, where we will see that hate relationships are not divinely inspired but caused by human interaction; where human transgression caused by human action is grounds for hate, but human transgression caused by divine action is not. Finally, I will examine poems that use Boy, where we will see that the erotic boy is of great interest to the Theognidean poet in physically erotic contexts
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Change in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity.
Herbivores alter plant biodiversity (species richness) in many of the world's ecosystems, but the magnitude and the direction of herbivore effects on biodiversity vary widely within and among ecosystems. One current theory predicts that herbivores enhance plant biodiversity at high productivity but have the opposite effect at low productivity. Yet, empirical support for the importance of site productivity as a mediator of these herbivore impacts is equivocal. Here, we synthesize data from 252 large-herbivore exclusion studies, spanning a 20-fold range in site productivity, to test an alternative hypothesis-that herbivore-induced changes in the competitive environment determine the response of plant biodiversity to herbivory irrespective of productivity. Under this hypothesis, when herbivores reduce the abundance (biomass, cover) of dominant species (for example, because the dominant plant is palatable), additional resources become available to support new species, thereby increasing biodiversity. By contrast, if herbivores promote high dominance by increasing the abundance of herbivory-resistant, unpalatable species, then resource availability for other species decreases reducing biodiversity. We show that herbivore-induced change in dominance, independent of site productivity or precipitation (a proxy for productivity), is the best predictor of herbivore effects on biodiversity in grassland and savannah sites. Given that most herbaceous ecosystems are dominated by one or a few species, altering the competitive environment via herbivores or by other means may be an effective strategy for conserving biodiversity in grasslands and savannahs globally