Are there any places on Earth with no bugs? - Charles Wallace

Prevodilac: Nevena Ciric Lektor: Milenka Okuka

A scalding volcano, parched desert, and frigid glacier—

Vreo vulkan, isušena pustinja i hladni glečer—

all pretty intense,

poprilično su intenzivna mesta,

And also all places where certain insects live.

ali i mesta gde određeni insekti žive.

So, how do they do it?

Kako im to uspeva?

Our first stop is one of the hottest places on Earth: the Sahara Desert.

Naša prva stanice je jedna od najtoplijih tačaka na planeti, Sahara.

Lots of animals here are only active at night— but not all.

Veliki broj životinja ovde je aktivno samo noću— ali ne i sve.

Sahara silver ant workers brave the desert’s blazing sun and scorching sands

Saharski srebrni mravi hrabro izlaze na žareće sunce pustinje i vreli pesak

with unusually long legs that elevate their bodies above the hot ground

sa neobično dugim nogama koje održavaju njihova tela iznad vruće zemlje

and allow them to reach superlative speeds.

i omogućavaju im da postignu izuzetnu brzinu.

They can sprint a meter per second,

Mogu trčati brzinom jednog metra u sekundi,

each of their feet striking the sand for as little as seven milliseconds at once,

pri čemu svaka noga dodiruje pesak samo sedam milisekundi,

making them the fastest ants on record.

što ih čini najbržim mravima na svetu.

But the reason for their silver sheen is also key to keeping cool:

Ali njihov srebrni sjaj je takođe ključan za održavanje hladnoće:

the ants are covered in densely packed hair.

ovi mravi su prekriveni gustim dlačicama.

Instead of having a heat-trapping effect,

Umesto da zadržavaju toplotu,

the hair’s triangular structure reflects sunlight and dissipates heat.

trouglasta struktura dlačica reflektuje sunčevu svetlost i rasipa toplotu.

Researchers observed that it helps reflect 10 times more incoming light

Istraživači su otkrili da to pomaže da se reflektuje 10 puta više dolazne svetlosti

and keeps the ants around 10 degrees cooler than if they were hairless.

i održava mrave oko 10 stepeni hladnijima nego kada ne bi imali dlačice.

Meanwhile, this longhorn beetle also sports triangular hairs

U međuvremenu, ova strižibuba takođe ima trouglaste dlačice

that give it a metallic shimmer and cool it down—

koje joj daju metalni sjaj i hlade je,

helpful since it resides near active Thai and Indonesian volcanoes,

što je korisno jer živi blizu aktivnih vulkana u Tajlandu i Indoneziji,

where ground temperatures can reach 70°C.

gde temperature tla mogu dostići 70°C.

Many insects thrive in balmy biomes,

Mnogi insekti uspevaju u toplim biomima,

but cold temperatures, like those looming over this ice-laden landscape,

ali hladne temperature, poput onih iznad pejzaža prekrivenih ledom

are a major constraint on insect life.

predstavljaju veliki izazov za insekte.

And yet, certain insects actually depend on these cool climates year-round.

Ipak, neki insekti zavise od ovih hladnih klimatskih uslova tokom cele godine.

One small group, sometimes called ice crawlers,

Jedna mala grupa, ponekad nazvana ledeni puzači,

lives in high-elevation caves and at the edges of glaciers.

živi u pećinama na velikim nadmorskim visinama i na ivicama glečera.

They've evolved to thrive in a narrow zone of cool temperatures.

Evoluirali su tako da mogu preživeti ovako hladne temperature.

Scientists think one way they manage this is their increased capacity to produce

Naučnici misle da uspevaju zahvaljujući sposobnosti da proizvode

a type of sugar that helps stabilize their cell membranes, proteins, and DNA.

vrstu šećera koja pomaže u stabilizaciji ćelijskih membrana, proteina i DNK.

But they've lost the ability to deal with temperature extremes.

Međutim, izgubili su sposobnost da se nose sa temperaturnim ekstremima.

For instance, just the heat of your hand could kill them given enough time.

Na primer, sama toplota vaše ruke mogla bi ih ubiti, u zavisnosti od dužine kontakta.

Now, for a more savory flavor of survival skills,

Sada, za živopisniji primer veština preživljavanja

we have the alkali fly.

imamo alkalnu muvu.

They live around and in California's Mono Lake,

One žive oko i u jezeru Mono u Kaliforniji

which is more than twice as salty as the ocean.

koje je više nego dvostruko slanije od okeana.

As aquatic larvae, they depend on specialized kidney-like organs

Kao vodene larve zavise od posebnih organa sličnih našim bubrezima

to excrete excess salt.

za izlučivanje viška soli.

And as adults, they must continue to venture underwater regularly

A kao odrasle jedinke moraju nastaviti da žive pod vodom

to eat and lay eggs.

kako bi se hranile i polagale jaja.

However, at their size, overcoming the water's surface tension

Međutim, zbog njihove veličine, savladavanje površinskog pritiska

and staying submerged is a challenge.

i ostanak pod vodom predstavljaju izazov.

They manage to exert forces up to 18 times their weight

Ovi insekti uspevaju da primene silu do 18 puta veću od svoje težine

to break the surface tension then use their claws to counteract their buoyancy

kako bi probili površinski pritisak, koristeći svoje kandže da se suprotstave

in the salty water and stay put down below.

uzgonu u slanoj vodi i ostanu na dnu.

Because their bodies are covered in more hair and hydrophobic wax than other flies,

Zbog toga što su im tela prekrivena sa više dlačica i hidrofobnog voska

nego kod drugih muva,

they’re surrounded by an air bubble that keeps them dry

okruženi su mehurićem vazduha koji ih održava suvim

and provides them with up to 15 minutes of oxygen.

i pruža im do 15 minuta kiseonika.

When they release their hold,

Kada se oslobode,

they pop right back up to the surface, perfectly dry.

odmah izrone na površinu, potpuno suvi.

However, only one insect group is known to actually withstand the ocean’s depths:

Međutim, poznata je samo jedna grupa insekata

koja može da izdrži dubine okeana, a to su parazitske vaši

these are parasitic lice,

and they live on deep-sea-diving pinnipeds,

i one žive na perajarima koji duboko rone,

like seals and walruses.

poput foka i morževa.

Their plunges can take the lice thousands of meters underwater for extended periods.

Kada zarone, mogu odvesti vaši hiljadama metara pod vodom na duži period.

Most insects use holes on the sides of their abdomens, called spiracles,

Većina insekata koristi otvore sa strane stomaka, koji se zovu spirakule,

to take in oxygen.

kako bi unosili kiseonik.

Interestingly, these lice are equipped with microscopic structures

Zanimljivo je da su ove vaši opremljene mikroskopskim strukturama

that allow them to shut their spiracles entirely.

koje im omogućavaju da potpuno zatvore svoje spirakule.

Scientists think this may help them keep air inside

Naučnici veruju da to može pomoći u zadržavanju vazduha,

or prevent water from entering,

ili sprečavanju ulaska vode,

allowing them to survive long periods submerged in high-pressure conditions.

što im omogućava da prežive dug period pod vodom u uslovima visokog pritiska.

Some lice may also attain oxygen by living on seals whose fur

Neke vaši takođe mogu doći do kiseonika živeći na fokama čije krzno

traps air close to their bodies.

zadržava vazduh blizu tela.

Meanwhile, lice on marine mammals with less hair

U međuvremenu, vaši na manje dlakavim morskim sisarima

seem to have more scale-like structures on their abdomens,

izgleda da imaju više ljuskastih struktura na stomacima

which might help them trap a little layer of air all for themselves.

koje im pomažu da uhvate sloj vazduha samo za sebe.

Insects are the world's most numerous and diverse animals.

Insekti su najbrojnije i najraznovrsnije životinje na svetu.

Even in some of the places you might least expect them,

Čak i na mestima ge ih najmanje očekujemo,

there they are,

oni su tu,

equipped with extreme survival skills, living life on the edge.

opstaju na ivici, zahvaljujući izuzetnim veštinama preživljavanja.