密歇根新闻广播 入侵植物适应新的气候以寻求统治世界

 

Invasive species tend to do well in new places, and they can push out native species. There's an assumption that they do better in the same kind of environment as the country they came from.

But scientists have found that some invasive plants can change and adapt to new continents and new climates.

Jacob Barney is an associate professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. He and his colleagues examined more than 800 plant species in a new study in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

"There's been this underlying¹ assumption for hundreds of years that climate influences where species occur," he says. "What we found was in contradiction to this long-held assumption. In fact, we found that the majority of plant species actually do change once they move to new continents."

For example, they were asking the question: If a plant occurs in cool, wet places in Europe, is it more likely to occur in cool, wet places in the United States?

"And in fact, we found they are not, they're in different environments in new locations, and this is a sort of fundamental change in how we view plant species that have been under study since Darwin sailed on the Beagle," he says.

Barney says not all plant species appear to behave the same way.

"So annual plants actually expand less so than long-lived woody plants. One of the most important things we found is that plant species that humans are cultivating, so the ones we buy at Lowe's and Home Depot² to plant in our gardens, we're actually perhaps helping³ them colonize⁴ new climates that they wouldn't otherwise be able to do well in," he says.

He says this could have implications for how we predict where new invaders⁵ might do well, and how we try to control them once they do get established here.

"Because one of the things that we've learned over time is that once an invasive plant establishes it's really difficult to remove. So now, we have a better capability⁶ of understanding where they might move in the future so we can prevent that," he says.

You can listen to the interview with Jacob Barney above.

1 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

2 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 colonize   

v.建立殖民地，拓殖；定居，居于

参考例句：

• Around 700 Arabs began to colonize East Africa.公元700年阿拉伯人开始把东非变为殖民地。
• Japan used to colonize many countries in Asia.日本曾经殖民过许多亚洲国家。

5 invaders   

入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They prepared to repel the invaders. 他们准备赶走侵略军。
• The family has traced its ancestry to the Norman invaders. 这个家族将自己的世系追溯到诺曼征服者。

6 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。