TED演讲:为什么有这么多昆虫存在(2)

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　　protecting insects against the outside world and helping¹ them cope with habitats that other creatures can't. 抵御外部环境的伤害，帮助它们应对其他生物不能生存的栖息地。

　　Even their small size, which we might see as a disadvantage, is something they use to their benefit. 即使它们体型很小，我们也许把这个看做一项劣势，有时候它们也利用这点成为一项优势。

　　Because most species are so tiny, millions of insects can inhabit a small space and make use of all the available resources within it. 由于大部分种类的昆虫都非常小，数百万的昆虫可以栖息在一个很小的地方，并且这地方所有的资源都可以为它们所用。

　　This means they can occupy hundreds of different niches³ across ecosystems⁵. 这意味着它们可以在整个生态系统中占据成百上千的小生境。

　　Some insects survive by eating the roots, stems, leaves, seeds, pollen⁶, and nectar of specific plants. 一些昆虫靠吃某种植物的根生存，一些吃茎或是叶子种子花粉以及花蜜。

　　Others, like wasps⁷, make use of live insects by paralyzing the victims and laying their eggs inside 另一些昆虫，比如胡蜂，会利用其它昆虫麻痹受害者，把卵产在它的体内，

　　so that when the hatchlings emerge, they can eat their way out and get nourishment⁸. 当卵孵化成功以后幼虫就可以通过啃食尸体获得养分。

　　Mosquitos and biting flies feed on blood, taking advantage of this unusual resource to ensure their survival. 蚊子和蛰蝇以血为食，依靠这种特别的食物得以生存。

　　And a whole bunch of other insects have built a niche² around feces. 还有很多其它昆虫以粪便为存活的依靠。

　　Flies lay their eggs there, and some beetles⁹ even build large balls out of animal dung, which they eat and use as accommodation for their eggs. 苍蝇在其中产卵，有些甲虫甚至会把动物的粪便滚成球作为食物以及卵的孵化场。

　　And then there's the insects' mighty¹⁰ power of metamorphosis. 下面要说的是昆虫强大的变态能力。

　　This trait not only transforms insects, but also helps them maximize the available resources in an ecosystem⁴. 这一特征不仅让昆虫变形、进化更可以让它们最大限度地利用生态系统中的可用资源。

　　Take butterflies. 以蝴蝶为例。

　　In their larval caterpillar¹¹ form, they chomp¹² hungrily through leaves at a rapid rate to help them grow and spin cocoons¹³. 在处于毛毛虫的幼虫阶段它们会不停地、快速地啃食树叶来帮助它们生长并结茧。

　　But when they emerge as butterflies, these insects feed only on flower nectar. 但当它们变成蝴蝶后它们只吃花粉了。

　　Metamorphosis means the larvae¹⁴ and adults of one species will never compete for the same resource, 生物变态意味着同一个物种的幼虫期和成虫期绝对不会抢夺相同的食物，

　　so they successfully share an ecological¹⁵ niche without limiting their own success. 它们可以完美地共享同一个生态环境又不会限制自己的生长。

　　This process is so efficient that an incredible 86% of insect species undergo complete metamorphosis. 这一过程是非常高效的所以有86%的昆虫物种会经历完全变态。

　　We're big and they're small, so it's easy to forget that these critters are moving in their millions all around us, all the time. 人类比较大，而昆虫非常小有时候我们很容易忘记这些生物一直在我们的周围活动，几百万几百万为一群。

　　But examine almost any patch of ground, and you're sure to find them there. 但如果你随便翻看一小块土地都能看到它们的身影。

　　Their numbers are immense, and their success is unmatched. 它们的数量是巨大的，它们的成功是无可比拟的。

　　We may have to accept that it's insects, not us, that are the true conquerors¹⁶ of the planet. 我们必须接受这样的事实，昆虫才是这个星球真正的主宰者，而不是人类。

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