Why are frogs disappearing? - Kerry M. Kriger

正在消失的青蛙 - Kerry M. Kriger

翻译人员: Wenyu Zhang 校对人员: Shuquan Huang

Have you ever heard the sound of frogs

你有听过青蛙

calling at night?

在夜晚的鸣叫吗？

For hundreds of millions of years,

几亿年来

this croaking lullaby has filled the nighttime air.

这由呱呱声组成的催眠曲一直与夜晚的宁静相随

But recent studies suggest

但是近期的研究显示

that these frogs are in danger

这些青蛙正处于危险之中

of playing their final note.

它们的鸣叫将会成为绝唱

Over the past few decades,

在过去几十年间，

amphibian populations have been rapidly disappearing worldwide.

在全世界范围内，两栖类动物的数量一直在快速减少

Nearly one-third of the world's amphibian species

将近1/3的两栖类物种

are endanger of extinction,

都面临灭绝的危险

and over 100 species have already disappeared.

上百个物种已经消失了

But don't worry, there's still hope.

所幸的是，希望还在

Before we get into how to save the frogs,

在谈论如何拯救青蛙之前

let's start by taking a look

让我们先看看

at why they're disappearing

它们消失的原因

and why it's important to keep them around.

和保护它们的重要性

Habitat destruction is the number one problem

栖息地遭到破坏是首要问题

for frog populations around the world.

对遍布世界各地的青蛙都是如此

There are seven billion humans on the planet,

地球上居住着70亿人口

and we compete with frogs for habitat.

我们与青蛙争夺着栖息地

We build cities, suburbs, and farms

我们在青蛙的栖息地上

on top of frog habitat

建设城市，郊区，开辟农场

and chop forests

砍伐森林

and drain the wetlands

把湿地消耗殆尽

that serve as home

它们为无数两栖动物

for numerous amphibian populations.

提供了庇护

Climate change alters precipitation levels,

气候变化改变了降雨量

drying up ponds, streams, and cloud forests.

使池塘和河流干枯，雾林枯竭

As the Earth's human population continues to grow,

随着地球上人口数量的增加

so will the threats amphibians face.

两栖类动物面临的威胁也随之增长

There are a variety of other factors

有各种各样其它的原因

contributing to the frogs' decline.

导致青蛙数量减少

Over-harvesting for the pet and food trade

为发展宠物和食物交易进行的过度捕捉

results in millions of frogs

使上百万的青蛙

being taken out of the wild each year.

每年于荒野中消失

Invasive species,

入侵物种

such as non-native trout and crawfish,

比如鳟鱼和小龙虾

eat native frogs.

都会吃掉本地的青蛙

Humans are facilitating the spread

人类正在促进

of infectious diseases

传染性疾病的传播

by shipping over 100 million amphibians

通过每年在全球范围内

around the world each year

用船运输上亿只两栖动物

for use as food, pets, bait,

供我们当作食物，宠物，诱饵

and in laboratories and zoos,

或被送进实验室和动物园

with few regulations or quarantines.

没有法规约束或进行检疫

One of these diseases,

在这些疾病当中

chytridiomycosis,

壶菌病

has driven stream-dwelling amphibian populations

已把沿河居住的两栖动物

to extinction

逼入绝境

in Africa,

包括非洲

Australia,

澳大利亚

Europe,

and North, Central, and South America.

欧洲

和美国的北部 中部 南部

On top of all these problems,

除这些问题之外

we add hundreds of millions of kilograms of pesticides

我们每年还往生态系统中

to our ecosystems each year.

喷洒上亿公斤的农药

And these chemicals are easily absorbed

这些化学物质可轻易通过

through amphibians' permeable skin,

两栖动物可渗透性的皮肤被吸收

causing immunosuppression,

导致其免疫低下

or a weakened immune system,

或削弱免疫系统

and developmental deformities.

从而导致畸形

Okay, so why are these little green guys

那么为什么我们周围的世界里

worth keeping around?

非要有这些绿色的小东西呢？

Frogs are important for a multitude of reasons.

青蛙的重要性有诸多体现

They're an integral part of the food web,

它们是食物网不可分割的一部分

eating flies, ticks, mosquitoes,

它们捕食苍蝇 虱子 蚊子

and other disease vectors,

和其它疾病媒介物

thus, protecting us against malaria,

这使得我们免于遭受疟疾

dengue fever,

登革热

and other illnesses.

和其它疾病带来的痛苦

Tadpoles keep waterways clean

蝌蚪吃掉藻类

by feeding on algae,

保持水道的清洁

reducing the demand

降低我们的社区

on our community's filtration systems

对过滤系统的要求

and keeping our cost of water low.

维持饮用水的成本在较低水平

Frogs serve as a source of food

青蛙是很多动物的食物来源

for birds, fish, snakes, dragonflies, and even monkeys.

鸟 鱼 蛇 蜻蜓，甚至猴子

When frogs disappear,

当青蛙消失

the food web is disturbed,

食物网就会被打乱

and other animals can disappear as well.

其它动物也会消失

Amphibians are also extremely important

两栖动物在人类药物学方面

in human medicine.

也功不可没

Over ten percent of the Nobel prizes

诺贝尔生理学奖和医学奖的得主中

in physiology and medicine

超过百分之十的人

have gone to researchers

在研究过程中

whose work depended on amphibians.

需要用到两栖动物

Some of the antimicrobial peptides

青蛙皮肤上的一些抗菌肽

on frog skin can kill HIV,

可以杀死艾滋病病毒（HIV）

some act as pain killers,

一些可以作为止痛药

and others serve as natural mosquito repellents.

其它一些可以作为天然的驱蚊剂

Many discoveries await us

如果我们能拯救青蛙

if we can save the frogs,

还有许多未知等待我们去探索

but when a frog species disappears,

但当一个青蛙物种灭绝时

so does any promise it holds

它承载的改善人类健康的希望

for improving human health.

便也随之破灭了

Fortunately, there are lots of ways you can help,

幸运的是，你可以通过很多方式提供帮助

and the best place to start

最好的出发点

is by improving your ecological footprint

就是增加你的生态足迹

and day-to-day actions.

和日常行动

The next time you listen to that nighttime lullaby,

下次你再听到那夜之催眠曲时

don't think of it as just another background noise,

别再只把它当成另一种背景噪音了

hear it as a call for help,

把它当作是用“呱呱”这样悦耳的音符

sung in perfect croaking harmony.

来呼救吧