The wild world of carnivorous plants - Kenny Coogan

翻译人员: Carol Wang 校对人员: GeGe Tan

Little do they know it,

尽管它们毫无察觉，

but these six creatures are each about to experience a very unusual death.

但这六种生物都将以一种 十分不寻常的方式死亡。

One-by-one,

一个接着一个，

they will fall prey to the remarkable, predatory antics of...

它们将成为奇特猎食者的盘中餐……

a carnivorous plant.

食肉植物。

Around the world there are more than 600 plant species

全世界有多于 600 种植物

that supplement a regular diet of sunlight, water, and soil

除了需要阳光、 水和土壤这些常规“饮食”外，

with insects, microbes, or even frogs and rats.

还“吃”昆虫、微生物、 甚至青蛙和老鼠。

Scientists believe that carnivory in plants evolved separately

科学家们相信，地球上 植物的食肉性的进化

at least six times on our planet,

独立上演过至少六次，

suggesting that this flesh-munching adaptation

这说明这种食肉的适应性

holds a major benefit for plants.

为植物提供了极大益处。

Carnivorous plants tend to grow in places with highly acidic soil,

食肉植物常生长在强酸性土壤处，

which is poor in crucial nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

这种土壤缺乏如氮、磷、钾等重要养分。

In these hostile conditions,

在这种恶劣的环境中，

plants that are able to lure, trap, and digest prey

能吸引、捕杀和消化猎物的植物

have an advantage over those that rely on soil for their nutrients.

比单纯依赖土壤的植物更具优势。

Take this inhospitable bog,

以这片荒凉的沼泽地为例，

where pitcher plants reign supreme.

猪笼草在这里生长茂盛。

Drawn to the pitcher’s vivid colors and alluring scent,

这只苍蝇被猪笼草的艳丽颜色 和诱人气味所吸引，

the fly closes in and slurps its nectar.

它靠近猪笼草并啜饮其花蜜。

But this pitcher species has an ingredient called coniine in its nectar,

但这种猪笼草的花蜜中 含有一种成分叫毒芹碱，

a powerful narcotic to insects.

是一种强大的昆虫麻醉剂。

As the coniine takes effect,

当毒芹碱生效时，

the fly grows sluggish, stumbles, and falls down the funnel

苍蝇变得迟钝、蹒跚，

into a pool of liquid at the base,

跌入捕虫笼底部的一池液体，

where he drowns.

最后淹死于此。

Enzymes and bacteria in the liquid slowly break his body down

液体中的酶和细菌 慢慢将它的身体分解成

into microscopic particles the pitcher plant can consume through its leaves.

猪笼草的叶子可以吸收的微观颗粒。

Occasionally,

偶尔地，

larger prey also tumbles into the fatal funnel of the pitcher plant.

也有较大猎物坠入 猪笼草那致命的捕虫笼中。

The second victim faces off with the sticky sundew plant.

第二个受害者遇到了黏黏的茅膏菜。

The sundew’s tiny leaves are equipped with a viscous secretion called mucilage.

茅膏菜的小叶上 带有黏分泌物：粘液。

The ant is swiftly trapped in this goo.

这只蚂蚁很快被粘性物困住了。

As she struggles, enzymes begin to digest her body.

当她挣扎的时候， 酶已开始消化她的身体。

Special tentacles sense her movement and curl around her,

独特的触须感知到其活动， 并在她周身缠绕收紧，

clenching her in their suffocating grip.

令人窒息地挤压着她。

Once she asphyxiates,

一小时内，

which can happen in under an hour,

一旦她窒息后，

the tentacles unfurl again to snare their next victim.

这些触须再次松开， 以便诱捕下一个受害者。

Two down, four to go.

已经牺牲 2 个，还剩 4 个。

The next target meets his end underground,

下一个目标将死于长在地下

in the coils of the corkscrew plant.

螺旋植物的缠绕中。

He enters the roots through a tiny slit in search of food.

他为找食物而钻入根部小切口，

But inside, he quickly loses his way through the tangled labyrinth.

但很快便迷失在那错综复杂的迷宫里。

A forest of curved hairs prevents his escape,

密集的卷毛让他无法逃走，

guiding him into a central chamber with flesh-digesting enzymes

将他引至中心腔室， 里面有消化血肉的酶，

and deadly low levels of oxygen.

且那里氧气水平非常低。

In the murky depths of a nearby pond,

在附近池塘的阴暗深处，

a tadpole unwittingly swims into the path of the bladderwort,

一只蝌蚪不知不觉地 游进了狸藻的地盘，

the speediest of all carnivorous plants.

狸藻是食肉植物中消化最快的。

She treads on the bladderwort’s trigger,

她触及到狸藻的触须，

and in milliseconds,

仅在几毫秒内，

a trapdoor swings open and sucks her in.

活板门打开，她被吸了进去。

Trapped half in and half out,

身体一半困在里面，一半在外，

she struggles to free herself

她努力想挣脱，

while the part of her body inside the plant gets digested.

但她在植物内的身体已被消化。

Over the next few hours,

在接下来的几个小时里，

her writhing sets the trap off repeatedly,

她的扭动反复地打开活板门，

each time bringing her deeper into the plant

每次都让更多的身体进入，

to be digested alive bit by bit.

一点一点地活着被消化掉了。

Meanwhile, this beetle is bewitched by sweet-smelling nectar.

与此同时，这只甲虫 被甜美的花蜜所迷惑。

The scent draws him closer and closer

气味吸引他越来越靠近，

until he lands on the leaves of the world’s most infamous carnivorous plant.

直到他落在世上最臭名昭著的 食肉植物的叶子上。

His landing triggers tiny hairs on the surface of the leaves,

他的降落触发了叶表的微小毛发，

and the jaws of the venus fly trap snap shut around him.

捕蝇草的捕虫夹在他周围快速闭合，

The spikes interlock to seal his fate.

刺毛互锁决定了他的命运。

Once closed,

一旦闭合，

the leaves act like an external stomach that digests the beetle’s soft tissues.

叶子就像一个外部胃， 消化掉甲虫的软组织。

When they open again a few days later,

当几天后叶子再次打开时，

only the dry husk of his exoskeleton remains.

只剩下他干枯的外骨骼外壳。

The mayfly is the last creature standing.

最后的生物是蜉蝣。

As she approaches the butterwort plant,

当她靠近捕虫堇时，

she heads for the flowers that wave high above the plant’s globs of adhesive goo.

她飞向了团团粘液上方、 高高摇曳的花朵。

She alights on the petals, drinks the nectar, and takes off unscathed.

她落在花瓣上，喝完花蜜， 毫发无伤地飞走了。

These long flower stalks keep certain insects away from the carnivore’s traps—

这些长花茎使某些昆虫 远离食肉植物的陷阱——

a way of separating pollinators from food.

一种将授粉者与猎物分开的方法。

Off the mayfly buzzes to live a long and fruitful life–

蜉蝣翁嗡飞走了， 去过漫长而多姿的一生——

oh.

噢！