万物简史 第525期:丰富多彩的生命(21)

 Goodness knows what the results would be if anyone attempted a similar exercise with the planet's estimated 20,000 types of lichens¹, 50,000 species of mollusk², or 400,000-plus beetles⁴. 要是有人试图对这颗行星上的大约2万种地衣、5万多种软体动物或40万种以上甲虫做类似的工作，天知道会有什么结果。

What is certain is that there is a great deal of life out there, 有一点是肯定的，世界上存在着大量生命，

though the actual quantities are necessarily estimates based on extrapolations — sometimes exceedingly expansive extrapolations. 虽然实际数量只能根据推断——有时候是漫无边际的推断——来进行估计。

In a well-known exercise in the 1980s, Terry Erwin of the Smithsonian Institution saturated⁵ a stand of nineteen rain forest trees in Panama with an insecticide fog, 20世纪80年代，在一次著名的实验当中，史密森学会的特里·欧文在巴拿马雨林里用杀虫剂喷洒了19棵树，

then collected everything that fell into his nets from the canopy⁶. 然后捡起从树上掉进他网里的一切东西。

Among his haul (actually hauls, since he repeated the experiment seasonally⁷ to make sure he caught migrant species) were 1,200 types of beetle³. 在他的捕获品当中（实际上是几次捕获品，因为他按季节重复了这个实验，以确保逮住迁移的物种），有l200种甲虫。

Based on the distribution of beetles elsewhere, the number of other tree species in the forest, 根据别处甲虫的分布情况、森林里别的树生物种的数量、

the number of forests in the world, the number of other insect types, and so on up a long chain of variables, 世界上森林的数量、别的昆虫的种数等等变量，

he estimated a figure of 30 million species of insects for the entire planet — a figure he later said was too conservative. 他估计整个地球上有3000万种昆虫——他后来说，这个数字还很保守。

Others using the same or similar data have come up with figures of 13 million, 80 million, or 100 million insect types, 别人利用同样的或类似的数据得出的昆虫数量是1300万种、8000万种或l亿种。

underlining the conclusion that however carefully arrived at, such figures inevitably⁸ owe at least as much to supposition as to science. 这清楚地说明，得出一个结论无论多么仔细，这样的数字少说也是推测和科学平分秋色。这是必然的。

 

1 lichens   

n.地衣( lichen的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The only plants to be found in Antarctica are algae, mosses, and lichens. 在南极洲所发现的植物只有藻类、苔藓和地衣。 来自辞典例句
• Litmus: Mixture of coloured organic compounds obtained from several species of lichens. 石蕊：从几种地衣类植物中获取的带色有机化合物的混合物。 来自互联网

2 mollusk   

n.软体动物

参考例句：

• I swear I have never seen such a mollusk with thorns all over its body.我敢发誓我从来没有见过这种全身长满棘刺的软体动物。
• The colour varies with the mollusk and its environment.颜色因母体及其环境的不同而异。

3 beetle   

n.甲虫，近视眼的人

参考例句：

• A firefly is a type of beetle.萤火虫是一种甲虫。
• He saw a shiny green beetle on a leaf.我看见树叶上有一只闪闪发光的绿色甲虫。

4 beetles   

n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Beetles bury pellets of dung and lay their eggs within them. 甲壳虫把粪粒埋起来，然后在里面产卵。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This kind of beetles have hard shell. 这类甲虫有坚硬的外壳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 saturated   

a.饱和的，充满的

参考例句：

• The continuous rain had saturated the soil. 连绵不断的雨把土地淋了个透。
• a saturated solution of sodium chloride 氯化钠饱和溶液

6 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

7 seasonally   

参考例句：

• The price of vegetables fluctuates seasonally. 蔬菜的价格随季节变动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They moved seasonally among various vegetation types to feed on plants that were flourishing. 它们还随着季节的变化而在各种类型植物之间迁移，以便吃那些茂盛的植物。 来自辞典例句

8 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。