Chapter five begins with an anecdote about an invasive species in Guam: the brown tree snake. Alma studied these snakes as fieldwork, which ignited her interest in invasive species. Shifting focus to the present, the rats have been successfully eradicated from Anacapa, and Alma is satisfied. She believes wholeheartedly that she was right in her theory and methods as the seabird and deer mouse populations have risen, and the public is largely on her side. Unfortunately, Dave LaJoy remains a problem and threatens her with a lawsuit. Alma reveals that she and Dave had a short, ill-fated relationship. Generally in this chapter, readers learn more about Alma and her history. She is half Japanese, she likes folk music, she is a workaholic who once had a musician-scientist workaholic boyfriend, and she is passionate about her work. These descriptions make her seem more relatable and real. The chapter also stresses the connections in ideology between Dave and Alma. Though she relies on scientific truth and he on passion and ideals, both wish to save a species or many species at the expense of another. In that sense, Boyle is stating that one cannot survive while the other lives and that death and survival are both necessary aspects of life and the ecosystem. Therefore, when these two ideologies are so at odds yet so similar, it will most certainly lead to future conflicts because neither Alma’s work nor Dave’s opposition will ever end. What will happen at Santa Cruz remains to be seen.
Vocabulary:
Ornithology - a branch of zoology concerned with the study of birds
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