科学美国人60秒 SSS 狼群如何影响森林的生态系统(2)

During the winter, wolves work together to kill large prey¹ like deer.

在冬天，狼会一起猎杀像鹿这样的大型猎物。

But Gable found that in warmer, ice-free months, wolves focus on smaller prey, like newborn deer fawns² – and especially beavers⁴.

但盖博发现，在温暖无冰的月份，狼会把注意力集中在更小的猎物上，比如新生的小鹿——尤其是海狸。

And that’s where things get really interesting for the ecosystem⁵.

这就是生态系统真正有趣的地方。

"Wolves, by preying⁶ on dispersing⁷ beavers, alter where wetlands are created.

狼通过捕食分散的海狸，改变了湿地形成的地方。

If a young beaver³ gets killed after leaving home, it will never have a chance to build a new dam.

如果一只小海狸在离开家后被捕杀，它将永远没有机会建造新的水坝。

Even if it had started construction before becoming a wolf's lunch, the dam will remain unfinished and fall into disrepair.

即使海狸在成为狼的午餐之前已经开始建设，水坝也将完不了工，会变得破败不堪。

Beavers are ecosystem engineers.

海狸是生态系统工程师。

When a wolf kills one, it can have a big impact.

当一只狼捕杀一只海狸时，将会产生巨大的影响。

"Because they prevent beavers from converting a forest into a wetland.

“因为狼阻止海狸把森林变成湿地。

And in that regard, wolves are connected to all the ecological⁸ processes that are associated with wetlands and beaver ponds."

在这一点上，狼与与湿地和海狸池塘相关的所有生态过程都有联系。

Ecologists have long assumed the predators⁹ can influence their ecosystems¹⁰ in two main ways.

生态学家一直认为，捕食性动物可以通过两种主要方式来影响生态系统。

One is through fear and intimidation¹¹, like in the Yellowstone story.

一种是通过恐吓和威胁，就像黄石公园的故事一样。

The second is through direct killing¹².

第二种是直接杀戮。

The Voyageurs wolves offer up a third possibility.

探险家国家公园的狼群提供了第三种可能性。

The park and the forests surrounding it have more than 7000 beaver ponds.

该公园及其周围的森林有7000多个海狸池塘。

Gable estimates that wolves have a direct impact each year on around 88 of them.

盖博估计，狼每年对大约88个海狸池塘产生直接影响。

That’s a mere¹³ one and a quarter percent affected¹⁴.

只有1.25%的海狸池塘受到了影响。

So it's hard to argue that wolves are responsible for re-shaping the ecosystem in the broadest sense.

因此，从最广泛的意义上来说，很难说狼对重塑生态系统负有责任。

But it's equally hard to deny that they help to maintain a diversity of habitats across the landscape.

但同样难以否认的是，狼有助于维持整个地区栖息地的多样性。

"But I don't really think that estimate is a key finding, so to speak.

“但可以说，我真的认为这个估计并非是一个关键的发现。

Because I think the real goal, the real point of our paper was simply to flesh out this mechanism¹⁵ of how wolves do this."

因为我认为我们论文的真正目的，真正的意义只是为了充实狼是如何做到这一点的机制。”

The study was published in the November 13 issue of the journal Science Advances.

这项研究发表在11月13日的《Science Advances》期刊上。

"This is something worth studying, and this is likely happening in a variety of ecosystems."

“这是一件值得研究的事情，这很可能发生在各种生态系统中。”

Thanks for listening for Scientific American's 60-second Science. I'm Jason Goldman.

谢谢大家收听科学美国人——60秒科学。我是杰森·戈德曼。

1 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

2 fawns   

n.（未满一岁的）幼鹿( fawn的名词复数 )；浅黄褐色；乞怜者；奉承者v.（尤指狗等）跳过来往人身上蹭以示亲热( fawn的第三人称单数 )；巴结；讨好

参考例句：

• He fawns on anyone in an influential position. 他向一切身居要职的人谄媚。 来自辞典例句
• The way Michael fawns on the boss makes heave. 迈克讨好老板的样子真叫我恶心。 来自互联网

3 beaver   

n.海狸，河狸

参考例句：

• The hat is made of beaver.这顶帽子是海狸毛皮制的。
• A beaver is an animals with big front teeth.海狸是一种长着大门牙的动物。

4 beavers   

海狸( beaver的名词复数 )； 海狸皮毛； 棕灰色； 拼命工作的人

参考例句：

• In 1928 some porpoises were photographed working like beavers to push ashore a waterlogged mattress. 1928年有人把这些海豚象海狸那样把一床浸泡了水的褥垫推上岸时的情景拍摄了下来。
• Thus do the beavers, thus do the bees, thus do men. 海狸是这样做的，蜜蜂是这样做的，人也是这样做的。

5 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

6 preying   

v.掠食( prey的现在分词 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生

参考例句：

• This problem has been preying on my mind all day. 这个问题让我伤了整整一天脑筋。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• For a while he let his eyes idly follow the preying bird. 他自己的眼睛随着寻食的鸟毫无目的地看了一会儿。 来自辞典例句

7 dispersing   

adj. 分散的 动词disperse的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• Whereas gasoline fumes linger close to the ground before dispersing. 而汽油烟气却靠近地面迟迟不散。
• Earthworms may be instrumental in dispersing fungi or bacteria. 蚯蚓可能是散布真菌及细菌的工具。

8 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

9 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

11 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

13 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

14 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

15 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。