Drones in New Zealand to Study Threatened Insects

Scientists in New Zealand are developing drones and small radars¹ to follow insects to try to protect threatened species².

The new technology involves attaching radars to the insects to follow their movements. The devices³ connect electronically to drones that will track the insects in real-time. The scientists are with the University of Canterbury on New Zealand's South Island.

The team says it hopes the technology will lead to a deeper understanding of the country's troubled insect populations.

The research builds on years of experience in the area of bird conservation, in which radio tracking methods have helped to protect many threatened species. But that technology had to be made much smaller for use on insects.

The researchers have now made about 20 small "harmonic" devices that can be attached to insects. The insects can then be tracked over wide areas by drones.

Steve Pawson, from the university's College of Engineering⁴, told VOA that bird-tracking technology is what made the researchers start looking for a similar solution to follow insects.

The information from tagged birds, Pawson said, "really informs conservation management."

The same system can help scientists learn more about many different insect behaviors, he added, like how far they move, where they look for food, and even, how long they live.

"If we have that knowledge, then we can incorporate⁵ it into our decision making and our planning for conservation management operations," Pawson added.

The researchers plan to begin tests of the system on ground-based insects before moving to the greater complexities⁶ of tracking insects in flight. They hope to begin field testing by 2023.

The team says the research could possibly be useful in other scientific fields as well, such as biosecurity or medical imaging.

Among New Zealand's endangered insects is the widely recognized Wētā. The creatures -- native to the South Pacific --have large bodies, legs with sharp points and rounded tusks⁷.

Several species of Wētā are under threat from animals that eat them and destruction⁸ of the places where they live.

Words in This Story

drone – n. a small, unmanned plane

species – n. biology : a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants : a group of related⁹ animals or plants that is smaller than a genus

track – v. to follow

conservation – n. the act of keeping something safe from harm or from being damaged or destroyed

incorporate – v. to include something as part of another thing

habitat – n. the natural environment of plant or animal

1 radars   

n.雷达( radar的名词复数 )；雷达装置

参考例句：

• Servos for large radars and launchers are either electro-hydraulic or all-electric. 大型雷达和发射装置的伺服系统，不是电动-液压式的，就是全电动式的。 来自辞典例句
• Range-velocity simultaneous pull-off is one of effective measures for countering PD radars. 距离-速度同步拖引干扰是对抗PD雷达的有效方法。 来自互联网

2 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

3 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

4 engineering   

n.工程，工程学，管理，操纵

参考例句：

• The science of engineering began as soon as man learned to use tools. 人类一学会使用工具,工程科学就开始了。
• It was the first great engineering works in the world. 这是世界上第一家大型的工程工厂。

5 incorporate   

vt.包含，加上，吸收；把…合并，使并入

参考例句：

• Paints incorporate with oil.颜料与油混合在一起。
• We had to incorporate the company for tax reasons.由于纳税的原因，我们不得不把那家公司合并了。

6 complexities   

复杂性(complexity的名词复数)； 复杂的事物

参考例句：

• The complexities of life bothered him. 生活的复杂使他困惑。
• The complexities of life bothered me. 生活的杂乱事儿使我心烦。

7 tusks   

n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头

参考例句：

• The elephants are poached for their tusks. 为获取象牙而偷猎大象。
• Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. 非洲的一些地区则使用象牙、猴尾和盐。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

8 destruction   

n.破坏，毁灭，消灭

参考例句：

• The enemy bombs caused widespread destruction.敌人的炸弹造成大面积的破坏。
• Overconfidence was his destruction.自负是他垮台的原因。

9 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。