Microcosmos Critical Analysis - Essay Example

Microcosmos depicts an ordered world which seems to portray that similar attributes appear in entities of distinct and different sizes. The film is extremely fascinating, intriguing and informative. First, it demonstrates the entire universe as a whole, then narrows down to the minute niche occupied by specific organisms. The most interesting part of the film is the part slugs are seen mating. These are the organisms that I felt were best matched to the accompanying music as a way of portraying the romance and the copulation process between those types of species.

Microcosmos seeks to display a miniature ecosystem. The film gives a precious opportunity to the observer to examine a wide range of tenets such as the adaptation of organisms, their habitats and communities, their interdependence, ecosystems, natural cycles and their environment.

The orders which are presented in the Microcosm film encompasses dragonfly, grasshoppers, rhinoceros beetle, praying mantis, moth, cutworm, ant, dung beetles, wasps, sacred beetle, bee, climbing caterpillar, wriggler, swallow-tail butterfly, 3rd instar larvae hatching into butterfly, black ants, spiders in their spider web, cricket, pavement ant, ladybird with seven spots, great peacock moth and a mosquito. In addition, the cabbage looper caterpillar is also depicted.

The behaviours exhibited include geotropism which is seen in the growing plant tendrils. In addition, insect pollination is also exhibited. Also, a bee is portrayed sucking nectar from a full-blown flower. In addition, black ants are seen feeding on excretion materials from the thrips. Also, ladybirds are seen mating. Caterpillars are also seen depicting mimicry and camouflage to evade predators. In addition, the slug is seen gliding in a moist environment covered with green grass. Slugs are also seen mating.

One of the most surprising bits about the film is the bit a caterpillar is seen breaking out of a cocoon and then feeding on it afterwards. Furthermore, the film shows a spider which abruptly pounces on a grasshopper and stops it from escaping by deploying its spider web to tie them up. It’s fascinating to observe how insects are trapped in a spider web and later fed on by the king spider. An additional intriguing observation is made on how prey is trapped and then wrapped by a spider web to paralyse them to enhance the liberty of the king spider to feed on them. The behaviour of soil structure during dry spells is also depicted as the soil is seen cracking. In this context, caterpillars are seen migrating to a different niche to mark to portray an end of a wet season. This is accomplished by the emission of a type of pheromone which keeps them on track in alignment.

The black ants are also portrayed as industrious organisms that are extremely organized. It is seen how they are structured in their daily activities and how this helps the entire colony. Interesting scenes of wasps are also shown depicting how they hatch eggs, and how they feed their maggots. Also, it is unravelled how maggots enclose themselves in the cocoon to prepare for further metamorphosis to advance to larvae and then finally to adults. Furthermore, a dug beetle is surprisingly seen un-trapping its dug from a ditch. Furthermore, water skeeters are shown trekking on the water. This expounds on their adhesive effects on water. Their legs are flat and hairy to enable them to walk on water.

Also, water salamanders are seen preying on water skeeters and other small water animals. Frogs are also depicted in how they inhabit marshy or water niches in preparation for mating. Frogs are also depicted as fierce predators to water insects. In this context, water insects are depicted as adaptive to escape predators via their mimicry and swift speed to escape danger. In addition, the film shows how nature responds to change. In this context, trees and grass are shown as they rhythmically sway from side to side. The quantum level of how water droplets behave when they hit a hard surface and a mass of water is also shown.

Rain is also depicted as a dispersal and a pollinating mechanism which helps in propelling nature to its ultimate end. The film examines the behaviour of nature before, during and after rain. In this context, the film asserts that nature has adapted itself to survive under any circumstance. Beetles are seen falling off the flower buds, glass lying low and so forth. The film also unravels that the passing of a season is the passing of a lifetime which is akin to opening a gate or a door for new organisms to take over. For instance, the rainy season ushers the thriving of earthworms which was not evident before the ushering of the new season. The film also unravels nature’s intelligence and how organisms at their respective niche rely on the entire macro cosmos to survive. For instance, earthworms and snails require marsh areas to breed which is facilitated by having rains – a macro cosmos component.

Lastly, the film depicts how insectivorous plants trap their prey which encompasses insects. Their depicted mechanism is having a pretty attractive bloom which lures insects to its trap then finally nets them and poisons them, and then finally engulfs them preparing them to absorb their nutrients. Also, caterpillars are depicted as sensitive organisms which effectively sense and respond to sound from their environment. For instance, when they sense an approaching bee, they all get ready to attack.