【新闻精讲】

Pollinators Shape Plants to Their Preference
Honeybees are the charismatic microfauna of the pollination world. But flies, bumblebees, butterflies and moths—they all pollinate, too. With varying degrees of success. The poorer ones are technically referred to as 'inefficient pollinators.' "Those that do visit but transfer very little pollen in their visit." Florian Schiestl, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Zurich.
Schiestl and his colleague grew field mustard plants, and exposed them to two types of pollinators: efficient bumblebees and inefficient hoverflies. After just 11 generations, they found that the plants visited by bumblebees were taller, twice as fragrant, and reflected more UV light—a visual signal for bees. And those factors made the progeny even more attractive to bumblebees at the end of the experiment: a sign the plants had adapted to their pollinators' preferences.
But the plants that got a fly-by from the flies? They grew shorter. Less fragrant. And actually adapted to do more self-pollination. Because hoverflies are lousy pollinators. The study is in the journal Nature Communications. [Daniel D. L. Gervasi and Florian P. Schiestl, Real-time divergent evolution in plants driven by pollinators]
So with honeybees in peril, what happens if we lose them? “This will trigger an evolutionary response in the plants. For example, if flies take over as more important pollinators, as they used to be in the past, then very likely we'll have some evolutionary change going on."
And if the change is self-pollination, that could be trouble. "Self-pollination leads to reduction of genetic variability in the population, and this can be a problem for the plants, because they have a reduced ability to evolve resistance against diseases." Meaning that if we lose the pollinators, it’s the plants' genomes that may go to seed.


【视频讲解】

Honeybees are the charismatic micro-fauna of the pollination world. But flies, bumblebees, butterflies and moths—they all pollinate, too.
蜜蜂是传粉者世界中的最具魅力的小动物群，但是苍蝇，大黄蜂，蝴蝶和飞蛾也会传粉

Charismatic 有魅力的
例：With her striking looks and charismatic personality, she was noticed far and wide.
她以出众的相貌和富有魅力的个性闻名遐迩。
Micro-fauna 微动物群
the flora and fauna of the African jungle.
…非洲丛林的植物群和动物群。

Bumble
1. 咕咕哝哝; 笨手笨脚
例：he bumbled his way through his speech
2. 发嗡嗡声 Bumblebee
Moth 飞蛾

With varying degrees of success. The poorer ones are technically referred to as 'inefficient pollinators.'
成功授粉效率是不同的。成功率比较低是在学术上称之为“低效授粉者”
Technically
专业的 (语言)
例：The technical term for sunburn is erythema.
晒斑的专业术语是红斑。
Pollinate
给•••传授花粉
例：Many of the indigenous insects are needed to pollinate the local plants.
需要很多种土生昆虫给当地植物授粉。
很容易搞混乱的单词 Pollutant

"Those that do visit but transfer very little pollen in their visit." Florian Schiestl, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Zurich.
苏黎世大学进化生物学家， Florian Schiestl说，这钟低效传粉者会经常采花但是很少传粉。
Transfer
转移（If you transfer something or someone from one place to another, or they transfer from one place to another, they go from the first place to the second.）
例：Arrange for the transfer of medical records to your new doctor.
安排把医疗记录转给你的新医生。
Those
低效传粉者

Schiestl and his colleague grew field mustard plants, and exposed them to two types of pollinators: efficient bumblebees and inefficient hoverflies.
Schiestl和他同事种植芥末，并且只让这些植物接触两种授粉者：高效蜜蜂和低效食蚜虻
Mustard
1. 芥末
2. 未能达到要求; 不如所期待地那么好
例：He just wasn't a good student. He wasn't cutting the mustard and we let him go.
他不是什么好学生。不合格，我们就让他走了。
Hoverfly
食蚜虻是指雙翅目（Diptera）食蚜虻科. （Syrphidae)中的一群昆蟲，其幼蟲生活在蚜. 蟲群當中，是蚜蟲的捕食性天敵

After just 11 generations, they found that the plants visited by bumblebees were taller, twice as fragrant, and reflected more UV light—a visual signal for bees.
在经过11代以后，他们发现，被蜜蜂光顾的植物更高，更香，而且能反射更多的紫外线，这对于蜜蜂来说是明显的视觉信号
Fragrant
芳香的
例：...fragrant oils and perfumes.
…香精油和香水。
Reflect
反射
例：The sun reflected off the snow-covered mountains.
阳光从被雪覆盖的山峦反射回来。

And those factors made the progeny even more attractive to bumblebees at the end of the experiment: a sign the plants had adapted to their pollinators' preferences.
这些因素使得植物的后代对于蜜蜂更加有吸引力，这是植物适应传粉者的偏好
Progeny
(人的)后裔; (动物的)后代
例：...the freed slaves and their progeny.
...被释放的奴隶和他们的后代。
Preference
偏爱
例：It upset her when men revealed a preference for her sister.
当男人们显露出偏爱她妹妹的时候，她很不高兴。

But the plants that got a fly-by from the flies? They grew shorter. Less fragrant. And actually adapted to do more self-pollination. Because hoverflies are lousy pollinators. The study is in the journal Nature Communications.
但是这些得到食蚜虻的植物如何呢？他们长的更低，而且不香。实际上，适应了更多的自花传粉。实际上适应更多的自花传粉。因为食蚜虻是非常糟糕的传粉者。这项研究发表在《自然》杂志
fly-by 低空飞行
Lousy
1. 糟糕的
At Billy's Café, the menu is limited and the food is lousy.
比利餐馆饭菜品种有限，质量也很糟。
2. 极不舒服的
例：I wasn't actually sick but I felt lousy.
我其实没有生病，但感觉很不舒服。

So with honeybees in peril, what happens if we lose them? “This will trigger an evolutionary response in the plants.
假如蜜蜂处于濒危甚至灭绝，那么后果是什么呢？肯定要对于至于产生进化性反应
Peril
极大危险（Perils are great dangers.）
In spite of great peril, I have survived.
尽管危险巨大，我还是活了下来。
Trigger
引起(原本是扳机的意思)
例：...the incident which triggered the outbreak of the First World War.
…引起第一次世界大战爆发的事件。

For example, if flies take over as more important pollinators, as they used to be in the past, then very likely we'll have some evolutionary change going on."
比如说，假设，如过去一般，苍蝇成为了主要传粉者，然后，最有可能产生持续的进化性变化
Take over
1. 接管 (公司)
例：I'm going to take over the company one day.
我总有一天会接管这家公司。
2. 取代 = replace
Cars gradually took over from horses.
汽车逐渐取代了马。

And if the change is self-pollination, that could be trouble. "Self-pollination leads to reduction of genetic variability in the population, and this can be a problem for the plants, because they have a reduced ability to evolve resistance against diseases."
假如这种进化成了自花传粉，那么就麻烦了。自花传粉导致基因多样性减少，对于植物本身来说，也是噩耗。因为他们减少抵抗疾病的能力
Meaning that if we lose the pollinators, it’s the plants' genomes that may go to seed.
也意味着，如果失去传粉者，植物基因组将退化
Resistance 抵抗
例：A CBS correspondent in Colombo says the troops are encountering stiff resistance.
哥伦比亚广播公司驻科伦坡的一名记者报道说，军队正遭遇顽强的抵抗。
go to seed 退化
I almost didn't recognize John. He's really gone to seed since his wife left him.