2020年经济学人 根瘤蚜虫(2)

If correct, says Francois Delmotte, who works at INRAE's campus in Bordeaux

Francois Delmotte在INRAE位于波尔多的营地工作，也是该项目的领导之一，

and is one of the project's leaders, the finding fits with certain historical facts.

他表示，如果是这样，那么该发现和某些历史事实相吻合。

Though the Mississippi valley was annexed¹ from France by Britain and Spain in the mid-18th century, and passed eventually to the United States,

虽然，在18世纪中期，英国和西班牙从法国那里吞并了密西西比河谷，并最终转让给了美国，

many French settlers remained in the area and France retained trading links, particularly with New Orleans, for a long time.

但很多法国移民仍留在这个地区，法国在很长一段时间内保持着贸易联系，尤其是与新奥尔良的贸易。

Dr Delmotte says it would not be surprising if, in the 19th-century age of steamships² and naturalists³,

Delmotte博士表示，如果是在19世纪蒸汽船和自然法学派时代，河岸葡萄被保存在凉爽干燥的容器中，

phylloxera survived on cuttings of V. riparia stored in a cool, dry hold to be brought to a botanical garden in France.

然后被带到法国的植物园中，根瘤蚜虫能够在这些河岸葡萄的切口处存活下来，这并不奇怪。

Or, even more ironically, that it was imported with vines destined⁴ to cure their French cousins of an earlier imported blight—powdery mildew⁵.

更具讽刺的是，它是与葡萄藤一起进口的，这些葡萄藤是要用来治疗它们法国表亲的白粉病。

The genetic⁶ diversity of European phylloxera is limited compared with that of its North American counterpart, says Dr Rispe.

和北美同类相比，欧洲根瘤蚜虫基因的多样性是有限的，Rispe博士说到。

That points to there having been only one or two introductions, with subsequent diffusion⁷ of the pest by people and their agricultural machines.

这表明，这种害虫只被引入一次或两次，随后由于人类和他们的农业机械而扩散开来。

However, another of the paper's authors, Astrid Forneck of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna,

但该论文的另一位作者，维也纳自然资源和生命科学大学的Astrid Forneck表示，

says it remains⁸ a possibility that a separate introduction infested⁹ eastern Europe,

仍有可能是另一次引入让这种害虫在东欧大量滋生，

perhaps via the Austro-Hungarian empire's experimental vineyards at Klosterneuburg.

或许是通过奥匈帝国在克洛斯特新堡的试验性葡萄园。

In America phylloxera attacks wild vines' leaves. It stimulates¹⁰ them to create galls¹¹ in which it can live and feed,

在美国，根瘤蚜虫袭击葡萄藤的叶子。它刺激叶子产生虫瘿，以便它们生存和进食，

but which, from the plant's point of view, serve to isolate¹² the problem. When it attacks cultivated vines, though, it goes for the roots.

但从植物的角度来看，这有助于区分看待这个问题。虽然当它攻击种植葡萄藤时，它会攻击根部。

These root galls open a plant to infection by bacteria and fungi¹³, leading to its death.

这些根部的虫瘿让植物遭受细菌和真菌的感染，导致它的死亡。

For a long time, researchers hunted for a single molecule¹⁴, produced by the insect, that stimulated¹⁵ the growth of galls.

很长一段时间以来，研究人员都在寻找昆虫产生的一种刺激虫瘿增长的单分子。

Blocking the action of this, they hoped, would phylloxera-proof all vines. But here the sequencing project produced a disappointment.

他们希望，阻止这一行为可以防止所有的葡萄藤出现根瘤蚜虫。但基因排序项目的结果令人失望。

There is no such molecule. The researchers identified many genes¹⁶—2,300 of them, more than a tenth of the insect's genome—

不存在这种分子。研究人员发现了很多基因——2300个，超过这种昆虫基因组的十分之一——

that encode proteins which it secretes¹⁷ while feeding on the vine. These enable it to evade¹⁸ the plant's immune system while diverting resources from its host.

基因编码蛋白质，这些蛋白质是它以藤本植物为食时分泌的。这使它能够避开植物的免疫系统，同时从它的宿主转移资源。

The work now begins of teasing out what each of those genes does, and, ultimately, how phylloxera manipulates a plant and adapts to a new host.

现在的工作是弄清楚每个基因的作用是什么，以及根瘤蚜虫最终如何操控植物并适应新的宿主。

This information may in turn generate new weapons against the creature.

这些信息可能反过来会生成对付该生物的新武器。

That could be valuable in parts of viticulture's New World, such as Australia, where vines remain ungrafted and phylloxera is still a problem.

这在葡萄栽植新世界的部分地区可能很有价值，比如澳大利亚，在这些地方，葡萄藤仍是非嫁接的，并且根瘤蚜虫仍是一个问题。

It might also help if the insect ever evolves the ability to evade the natural resistance of American vine roots

如果这种昆虫进化出了避开美国藤本植物根系的自然抗性的能力，这也可能会有所帮助。

that currently stands between European growers and disaster. For Dr Forneck, this prospect¹⁹ is not outlandish.

目前这种自然抗性时欧洲种植者和灾难之间的屏障。对于Forneck博士，这种预期并不奇怪。

The insect is already adapting to a warmer world, and shifting its range. Further shifts in its physiology²⁰ are perfectly²¹ possible.

这种昆虫已经适应了更温暖的环境，并改变了它的活动范围。进一步的生理变化是完全可能的。

1 annexed   

[法] 附加的，附属的

参考例句：

• Germany annexed Austria in 1938. 1938年德国吞并了奥地利。
• The outlying villages were formally annexed by the town last year. 那些偏远的村庄于去年正式被并入该镇。

2 steamships   

n.汽船，大轮船( steamship的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Berths on steamships can be booked a long while in advance. 轮船上的床位可以提前多日预订。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The sailing ships were superseded by the steamships. 帆船已被汽船所取代。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 naturalists   

n.博物学家( naturalist的名词复数 )；（文学艺术的）自然主义者

参考例句：

• Naturalists differ much in determining what characters are of generic value. 自然学者对于不同性状决定生物的属的含义上，各有各的见解。 来自辞典例句
• This fact has led naturalists to believe that the Isthmus was formerly open. 使许多自然学者相信这个地蛱在以前原是开通的。 来自辞典例句

4 destined   

adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的

参考例句：

• It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
• The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。

5 mildew   

n.发霉；v.（使）发霉

参考例句：

• The interior was dark and smelled of mildew.里面光线很暗，霉味扑鼻。
• Mildew may form in this weather.这种天气有可能发霉。

6 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

7 diffusion   

n.流布；普及；散漫

参考例句：

• The invention of printing helped the diffusion of learning.印刷术的发明有助于知识的传播。
• The effect of the diffusion capacitance can be troublesome.扩散电容会引起麻烦。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 infested   

adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于

参考例句：

• The kitchen was infested with ants. 厨房里到处是蚂蚁。
• The apartments were infested with rats and roaches. 公寓里面到处都是老鼠和蟑螂。

10 stimulates   

v.刺激( stimulate的第三人称单数 )；激励；使兴奋；起兴奋作用，起刺激作用，起促进作用

参考例句：

• Exercise stimulates the body. 运动促进身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Alcohol stimulates the action of the heart. 酒刺激心脏的活动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 galls   

v.使…擦痛( gall的第三人称单数 )；擦伤；烦扰；侮辱

参考例句：

• Best results will be obtained on recently formed galls. 如果瘿瘤是新近形成的，则效果最好。 来自辞典例句
• Crown galls are cancerous growths composed of disorganized and proliferating plant cells. 冠瘿是无组织的正在不断增殖的植物细胞所组成的癌状物。 来自辞典例句

12 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

13 fungi   

n.真菌，霉菌

参考例句：

• Students practice to apply the study of genetics to multicellular plants and fungi.学生们练习把基因学应用到多细胞植物和真菌中。
• The lawn was covered with fungi.草地上到处都是蘑菇。

14 molecule   

n.分子，克分子

参考例句：

• A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
• This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。

15 stimulated   

a.刺激的

参考例句：

• The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。
• The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。

16 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

17 secretes   

v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的第三人称单数 )；隐匿，隐藏

参考例句：

• The pineal gland secretes melanin during times of relaxation and visualization. 松果体在放松时分泌黑色素是明白无误的。 来自互联网
• For example, the archegonium (female organ) of the moss Funaria secretes sucrose. 例如藓类颈卵器（雌性器官）分泌蔗糖。 来自互联网

18 evade   

vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避

参考例句：

• He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
• You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人，你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？

19 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

20 physiology   

n.生理学，生理机能

参考例句：

• He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。

21 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。