Rabbi Roodyn

The Malbim explains that man is a miniature universe to the extent that all the laws of nature that exist in the universe can be found in some way within the human body. For this reason man is actually referred to as עולם קטן, a miniature world.

For this reason, man has dominion over the whole world, all other aspects of nature compared to man are like parts being compared to a whole. The process of creation during maaseh bereishis took place in gradual stages from level to level with increasing degrees of complexity rather than in a abrupt fashion. Therefore we see different stages of development between plant life and animal life and even within the animial kingdom itself there is increasing complexity from insects to fish to birds to animal that lay eggs, to warm blooded animals and mamals.

David Hamelech looks at all of nature and sees man at its pinnacle. Mankind was formed at the end of six days of creation, with all the animals that proceeded him leading up to him, standing so to speak, at his feet.

The Malbim notes that the later the animal was formed during the process of creation, the more complex it is and the closer it is to man. This means that man’s main interaction with the natural world is with the animals that came just before him. We tend to use warm blooded animals who were created on day six more than birds and fish who were created on day five. Even within the animals that were created on the sixth day there are domesticated animals and wild animals. Man has a greater and more productive relationship with  the domesticated animals that are closer to him than the wild animals who are more distant both in nature and in proximity.

This leads on to  the next two pesukim  which say

“Flocks and cattle, all of them, and also the beasts of the field; the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, he traverses the ways of the seas.”