When will the next mass extinction occur? - Borths, D'Emic, and Pritchard

譯者: 張 豐富 審譯者: Max Chern

About 66 million years ago,

約在 6600 萬年前，

something terrible happened to life on our planet.

地球發生了一場大災變。

Ecosystems were hit with a double blow

生態系統遭到了雙重打擊：

as massive volcanic eruptions filled the atmosphere with carbon dioxide

大量的火山爆發 使大氣充滿了二氧化碳，

and an asteroid roughly the size of Manhattan struck the Earth.

以及一顆約有曼哈頓大的 小行星撞擊地球。

The dust from the impact reduced or stopped photosynthesis from many plants,

撞擊所產生的塵土減少或 阻礙了許多植物的光合作用，

starving herbivores and the carnivores that preyed on them.

導致草食性動物及 獵捕牠們的肉食性動物缺乏食物。

Within a short time span,

在短時間內，

three-quarters of the world's species disappeared forever,

世界上 3/4 的物種便永遠地消失了，

and the giant dinosaurs,

巨大的恐龍，

flying pterosaurs,

飛翔的翼龍，

shelled squids,

帶殼的菊石，

and marine reptiles that had flourished for ages

及繁盛很久的海生爬蟲類動物

faded into prehistory.

走下了歷史的舞台。

It may seem like the dinosaurs were especially unlucky,

或許恐龍們看起來特別不幸，

but extinctions of various severities have occurred throughout the Earth's history,

但在地球的歷史上 也曾發生過其他不同程度的生物滅絕，

and are still happening all around us today.

而且仍在你我身邊繼續發生著。

Environments change,

環境轉變，

pushing some species out of their comfort zones

迫使某些物種必須離開舒適圈

while creating new opportunities for others.

但也為其他物種製造了新的機會。

Invasive species arrive in new habitats, outcompeting the natives.

入侵物種進入新的棲地後 在競爭中勝過原生物種。

And in some cases, entire species are wiped out

有時候整個原生物種 因適應較佳的入侵物種的活動而滅絕

as a result of activity by better adapted organisms.

Sometimes, however, massive changes in the environment

然而，有時候環境的劇變來得太快

occur too quickly for most living creatures to adapt,

使大部分生物無法適應

causing thousands of species to die off in a geological instant.

導致數千物種 在地質年代的瞬間相繼滅絕

We call this a mass extinction event,

我們稱之為「大滅絕」，

and although such events may be rare,

雖然這樣的事件或許不多，

paleontologists have been able to identify several of them

古生物學家已能從化石的劇變中 指認出幾次「大滅絕」事件，

through dramatic changes in the fossil record,

where lineages that persisted through several geological layers

是根據數個地層中一直存在的 動物世系的化石突然消失了。

suddenly disappear.

In fact, these mass extinctions are used to divide the Earth's history

事實上，這些「大滅絕」 可用來將地球歷史

into distinct periods.

區隔為不同時期。

Although the disappearance of the dinosaurs

雖然恐龍的消失

is the best known mass extinction event,

是最為人所知的「大滅絕」事件，

the largest occurred long before dinosaurs ever existed.

但最大的「大滅絕」遠早在恐龍存在之前。

252 million years ago, between the Permian and Triassic periods,

2 億 5200 萬年前， 在二疊紀與三疊紀之間，

the Earth's land masses gathered together into the single supercontinent Pangaea.

地球上的陸塊聚合成 一塊超級大陸，「盤古大陸」。

As it coalesced, its interior was filled with deserts,

聚合後， 大陸的內陸充滿了沙漠，

while the single coastline eliminated many of the shallow tropical seas

合併為單一的海岸線 消除了許多生物多樣的熱帶淺海。

where biodiversity thrived.

Huge volcanic eruptions occurred across Siberia,

在西伯利亞發生的大規模的火山爆發，

coinciding with very high temperatures,

伴隨著超高溫度，

suggesting a massive greenhouse effect.

造成了劇烈的溫室效應。

These catastrophes contributed to the extinction

這些天災促成了

of 95% of species in the ocean,

95% 的海洋物種滅絕

and on land, the strange reptiles of the Permian

而在陸上，二疊紀奇異的爬蟲生物

gave way to the ancestors of the far more familiar dinosaurs we know today.

被我們今日更熟悉的 恐龍的祖先所取代。

But mass extinctions are not just a thing of the distant past.

但是「大滅絕」不僅僅 存在於遙遠的過去。

Over the last few million years,

近數百萬年來，

the fluctuation of massive ice sheets at our planet's poles

地球兩極巨大冰蓋的改變

has caused sea levels to rise and fall,

造成了海平面的起伏，

changing weather patterns and ocean currents along the way.

改變了氣候模式及洋流途徑，

As the ice sheets spread, retreated, and returned,

隨著冰蓋的擴張，縮減及重塑

some animals were either able to adapt to the changes,

某些生物得以適應改變，

or migrate to a more suitable environment.

或遷徙至更適合的環境。

Others, however, such as giant ground sloths,

不過其他例如：大地懶，

giant hyenas,

碩鬣狗，

and mammoths went extinct.

及猛瑪象就滅絕了。

The extinction of these large mammals

受冰冠融化影響的氣候變遷 及生態改變，這些大型哺乳類動物滅絕了。

coincides with changes in the climate and ecosystem due to the melting ice caps.

But there is also an uncomfortable overlap

但有個令人不安的重疊處

with the rise of a certain hominid species originating in Africa 150,000 years ago.

源於15萬年前在非洲原始人類的崛起。

In the course of their adaptation to the new environment,

在他們適應新環境的過程中，

creating new tools and methods for gathering food and hunting prey,

創造了採集食物與漁獵的新工具及方法，

humans may not have single-handedly caused the extinction of these large animals,

人類或許並未單獨地 造成大型動物的滅絕，

as some were able to coexist with us for thousands of years.

有些動物也能與我們共存數千年。

But it's clear that today,

但很顯然地，

our tools and methods have become so effective

我們現代的工具及方法 已變得如此強效

that humans are no longer reacting to the environment,

使人類不再是適應環境，

but are actively changing it.

而是改變環境。

The extinction of species is a normal occurrence

物種的滅絕是生態系統中的常事。

in the background of ecosystems.

But studies suggest that rates of extinction today

但研究指出如今許多生物

for many organisms

滅絕的速度

are hundreds to thousands of times higher than the normal background.

比正常情況下高出了千百倍。

But the same unique ability that makes humans capable of driving mass extinctions

但人類導致物種滅絕的獨特能力

can also enable us to prevent them.

也能用來防止物種的滅絕。

By learning about past extinction events,

學習過去物種的滅絕，

recognizing what is happening today as environments change,

了解環境改變下今日發生的事，

and using this knowledge to lessen our effect on other species,

並用這些知識減少我們對其他物種的影響，

we can transform humanity's impact on the world

我們可以將人類對世界有如 小行星般毀滅性的影響力

from something as destructive as a massive asteroid

into a collaborative part of a biologically diverse future.

轉化為一個使未來生物多樣化的助因。

翻譯：張豐富