在线广播

您现在的位置：首页 > 在线广播 > 科学美国人 > 科学美国人地球系列 > 正文

科学美国人60秒:非洲企鹅落入生态陷阱

时间:2017-06-02 11:53:34 来源:可可英语编辑:aimee 可可英语APP下载 | 可可官方微信:ikekenet

字号：大 | 中 | 小

打印

收藏本文

This is Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Jason Goldman.
这里是科学美国人——60秒科学。我是杰森·古德曼。

Over millions of years, penguins have evolved a keen sense of where to find food.
企鹅用数百万年进化出了寻找食物的敏锐嗅觉。

Once they're old enough, they set off from the shores on which they hatched for the first time
一旦企鹅长到足够大，它们就会离开孕育它们的海岸，

and swim long distances in search of tasty fish like anchovies and sardines.
游很长的距离去寻找凤尾鱼、沙丁鱼等美味的鱼类。

But they don't search directly for the fish themselves.
但是，它们并不是直接去寻找鱼。

For example, when young endangered African penguins head out to sea,
举例来说，当年轻的濒危非洲企鹅游向大海时，

they look for areas with low surface temperatures and high chlorophyll.
它们在寻找表面温度低而且叶绿素含量高的地方。

Because those conditions signal the presence of phytoplankton.
因为这些条件预示着浮游植物的存在。

And lots of phytoplankton means lots of zooplankton, which in turn means lots of their favorite fish.
浮游植物丰富意味着浮游动物多，这继而表明它们爱吃的鱼类也很多。

Well, that's what it used to mean.
可是这只是以前的情况。

Climate change plus overfishing have made the penguin feeding grounds a mirage.
气候变化和过度捕捞使企鹅的觅食区变成了海市蜃楼。

The habitat is indeed plankton-rich—but now it's fish-poor.
这里的浮游植物的确很丰富，可是鱼类的数量却很贫乏。

Researchers call this kind of scenario an "ecological trap."
研究人员将这种情况称为“生态陷阱”。

"It's a situation where you have a signal that previously pointed an animal towards good quality habitat.
“这种情况传递出了一个信号，这个信号此前将动物引向了优质的栖息地。

That habitat's been changed, usually by rapidly induced human pressures, usually anthropogenic change—
但是，迅速产生的人为压力改变了这个栖息地，这种改变通常是人为改变，

and the signal stays, but the underlying quality in the environment deteriorates."
虽然信号依然存在，但是该环境的潜在质量已经恶化。”

University of Exeter zoologist Richard Sherley.
理查德·谢利是埃克塞特大学的动物学家。

He and his team used satellite imaging to track the dispersal of 54 recently fledged African penguins from eight sites along southern Africa.
他和他的团队用卫星成像追踪非洲南部八个地点54只近期成熟企鹅的分布情况。

Historically, the birds benefitted from tons of fish off the coasts of Angola, Namibia and western South Africa, but now they're going hungry.
从历史上看，企鹅在安哥拉、纳米比亚和南非西部海岸捕食鱼类为生，但是现在企鹅要挨饿了。

"I was really hoping we'd see them going east, and finding areas where the fish had shifted to...
“我真的希望可以看见它们向东走，然后找到鱼类已经转移到的地区……

so I was quite surprised to be wrong, and unfortunately quite sad to be wrong in this case.
不幸的是，企鹅判断错误，我感到惊讶又悲伤。

It ends up being quite a sad story for the penguins."
最终，这对企鹅来说是一个悲伤的故事。”

The researchers calculate that by falling into this ecological trap,
研究人员通过计算发现，由于陷入生态陷阱，

African penguin populations on South Africa's Western Cape have declined by around 80 percent.
南非西开普的非洲企鹅数量已经减少了约80%。

The findings are in the journal Current Biology.
这项研究结果发表在《当代生物学》期刊上。

Some research groups are exploring the idea of translocating chicks to a place where they can't get trapped, like the Eastern Cape.
一些研究小组正在考虑将企鹅幼崽转移到不会落入生态陷阱的地方，比如东开普省。

But Sherley thinks that a longer-term solution means implementing regulations to create more sustainable fisheries,
但是谢利认为，更为长久的解决方案是要实施规定，创造更可持续的渔业，

something that he says has public support.
他说这需要公众支持。

And as for the penguins?
那企鹅呢？

"There's not necessarily yet in an extinction vortex. So it's not hopeless yet."
“企鹅还不至于陷入灭绝旋涡。所以，还是有希望的。”

But time flies. Unlike penguins.
但是时光飞逝。可不像企鹅似的。

Thanks for listening for Scientific American — 60-Second Science Science. I'm Jason Goldman.
谢谢大家收听科学美国人——60秒科学。我是杰森·古德曼。

手机扫描二维码查看全部内容

重点讲解：
1. set off 动身；出发；启程；
例句：I propose to set off immediately.
我建议马上动身m2@*x|D!DHXq]KhlO。
2. in turn 继而；转而；反过来；
例句：This, in turn, has generated current account surpluses.
这继而导致了经常账户盈余gK&6Wm,*%fHr。
3. benefit from 获益；对…有益；有利于；
例句：You will benefit from experience.
你一定会从经验中获得益处%sOR~KbI5SlvJ&M^A%3。
4. end up 最终；结果；到头来；
例句：Concerted fiscal restraint could trigger another recession, but the lack of it could end up in bigger default risks.
各国协同施行财政紧缩，有可能引发新一轮衰退，但如果不这样做，最终可能加剧违约风险R8X+7LXm05。

上一页 [1] [2] [3] 下一页 查看《科学美国人地球系列》更多内容>>

保存到QQ日志登录QQ空间

重点单词		查看全部解释
presence	['prezns]	想一想再看 n. 出席，到场，存在 n. 仪态，风度
default	[di'fɔ:lt]	想一想再看 n. 假设值，默认(值), 不履行责任，缺席 v. 默认	联想记忆 X 单词default 联想记忆： de向下，fault（n 错误）－错误下去－拖债
concerted	[kən'sə:tid]	想一想再看 adj. 商议好的，协定的，一致的动词concert的	联想记忆 X 单词concerted 联想记忆：源于concert：音乐会是需要很多演奏家配合的。
extinction	[iks'tiŋkʃən]	想一想再看 n. 消失，消减，废止	联想记忆 X 单词extinction 联想记忆： ex+stinct刺激+ion→灭绝
environment	[in'vaiərənmənt]	想一想再看 n. 环境，外界
current	['kʌrənt]	想一想再看 n. (水、气、电)流，趋势 adj. 流通的	联想记忆 X 单词current 联想记忆： currr跑，发生+cnt→跑的→流动的;潮流
habitat	['hæbitæt]	想一想再看 n. (动植物的)产地，栖息地	联想记忆 X 单词habitat 联想记忆： habit=dwell居住+at表示地方→住的地方→(动植物)居住地
previously	['pri:vju:sli]	想一想再看 adv. 先前，在此之前
trap	[træp]	想一想再看 n. 圈套，陷阱，困境，双轮轻便马车 v. 设
calculate	['kælkjuleit]	想一想再看 v. 计算，估计，核算，计划，认为