Jonathan Drori: The beautiful tricks of flowers

翻译人员: Felix Chen 校对人员: Charlotte Quilain

Do you know

各位知道

how many species of flowering plants there are?

有多少中开花植物么？

There are a quarter of a million -- at least those are the ones we know about --

有25万种 -- 至少我们知道的有这么多 --

a quarter of a million species of flowering plants.

25万中开花植物。

And flowers are a real bugger.

而花儿是个麻烦事。

They're really difficult for plants to produce.

让植物繁育真的很困难。

They take an enormous amount of energy and a lot of resources.

需要大量的经历和许多资源。

Why would they go to that bother?

为什么会这么困扰？

And the answer of course, like so many things in the world,

当然，答案是，与世界上许多其他事物一样，

is sex.

性别。

I know what's on your mind when you're looking at these pictures.

我知道当你们看这些图片时脑子里想的是什么。

And the reason that sexual reproduction is so important --

有性繁殖如此重要的原因 --

there are lots of other things that plants can do to reproduce.

植物有许多其他的方式可以繁殖。

You can take cuttings;

可以用插枝的方式；

they can sort of have sex with themselves;

可以同株两性繁殖；

they can pollinate themselves.

可以同株授粉。

But they really need to spread their genes

但它们确实需要传播它们的基因

to mix with other genes

与其他的基因混合，

so that they can adapt to environmental niches.

这样它们才能生态环境。

Evolution works that way.

进化就是这样起作用的。

Now the way that plants transmit that information

现在植物传递这一信息的途径

is through pollen.

是通过花粉。

Some of you may have seen some of these pictures before.

你们中一些人或许之前已经看过这些图片了。

As I say, every home should have a scanning electron microscope

如我所说，每个家庭都应该有一台能看到这些的

to be able to see these.

扫描电子显微镜。

And there is as many different kinds of pollen

有多少种开花植物就有

as there are flowering plants.

多少种不同类型的花粉。

And that's actually rather useful for forensics and so on.

这其实对法医学等等相当有用。

Most pollen that causes hay fever for us

多数会导致我们患上花粉热的花粉

is from plants that use the wind

来自那些用风来

to disseminate the pollen,

传播花粉的植物。

and that's a very inefficient process,

这是个非常低效的过程，

which is why it gets up our noses so much.

这也是为什么花粉总是跑到我们鼻子里。

Because you have to chuck out masses and masses of it,

因为其中大多数都被抛弃了，

hoping that your sex cells, your male sex cells,

希望包含在花粉中的生殖细胞，

which are held within the pollen,

雄性生殖细胞，

will somehow reach another flower just by chance.

将能碰巧落到另一朵花上。

So all the grasses, which means all of the cereal crops,

所有的草，这意味着所有的谷物，

and most of the trees

和多数的树

have wind-borne pollen.

靠风传播花粉。

But most species

但多数物种

actually use insects to do their bidding,

实际上利用昆虫来完成这一过程。

and that's more intelligent in a way,

在某种程度上这更聪明，

because the pollen, they don't need so much of it.

因为这样并不需要太多的花粉。

The insects

昆虫

and other species

和其他物种

can take the pollen,

能携带花粉，

transfer it directly to where it's required.

把花粉直接转移到所需的地方去。

So we're aware, obviously, of the relationship

很显然，我们注意到

between insects and plants.

昆虫和植物之间的关系。

There's a symbiotic relationship there,

这是种共生关系，

whether it's flies or birds or bees,

无论是鸟儿还是蜜蜂，

they're getting something in return,

它们都能获得回报，

and that something in return is generally nectar.

通常获得的回报是花蜜。

Sometimes that symbiosis

有时这种共生关系

has led to wonderful adaptations --

会导致奇妙的适应性变化 --

the hummingbird hawk-moth

红裙小天蛾

is beautiful in its adaptation.

是一种漂亮的适应性变化。

The plant gets something,

植物也有收获，

and the hawk-moth spreads the pollen somewhere else.

天峨把花粉传播到了别处。

Plants have evolved

植物进化了，

to create little landing strips here and there

到处创建降落的跑道，

for bees that might have lost their way.

蜜蜂可能迷失其中。

There are markings on many plants

许多植物上有些

that look like other insects.

看起来像是其他昆虫的标记。

These are the anthers of a lily,

这些是百合花的花粉囊，

cleverly done

非常巧妙，

so that when the unsuspecting insect

因此当毫不知情的昆虫

lands on it,

落于其上时，

the anther flips up and whops it on the back

花粉囊翻转过来，带着许多花粉

with a great load of pollen that it then goes to another plant with.

击打在昆虫背部，这样就能跟随昆虫到其他植物那里。

And there's an orchid

有一种兰花

that might look to you as if it's got jaws,

看起来就像是有下颚一般。

and in a way, it has; it forces the insect to crawl out,

在某种程度上说，它的确有；它强迫昆虫爬过，

getting covered in pollen that it takes somewhere else.

沾上花粉，并把花粉带往别的地方。

Orchids: there are 20,000, at least,

兰花：至少有

species of orchids --

两万种兰花 --

amazingly, amazingly diverse.

多种多样的令人惊异。

And they get up to all sorts of tricks.

它们有各种各样的花招。

They have to try and attract pollinators

它们必须尝试并吸引传粉者

to do their bidding.

帮助它们完成这一过程。

This orchid, known as Darwin's orchid,

这株兰花，被称为达尔文的兰花，

because it's one that he studied

因为它曾被达尔文研究

and made a wonderful prediction when he saw it --

并在他看到这种兰花时给出了奇妙的预测。

you can see that there's a very long nectar tube

可以看到这儿有一个很长的花蜜管

that descends down

从兰花中

from the orchid.

垂下来。

And basically what the insect has to do --

基本上昆虫不得不做的是 --

we're in the middle of the flower --

我们来到花的当中 --

it has to stick its little proboscis

它把口器刺入

right into the middle of that

中间的部分

and all the way down that nectar tube

一路向下知道花蜜管

to get to the nectar.

以得到花蜜。

And Darwin said, looking at this flower,

达尔文说，看看这花，

"I guess something has coevolved with this."

“我猜测有些事物与其共同进化了。”

And sure enough,

毫无疑问，

there's the insect.

就是昆虫。

And I mean, normally it kind of rolls it away,

我的意思时，通常它都是卷起来的，

but in its erect form,

但它伸直以后，

that's what it looks like.

看起来是这样的。

Now you can imagine

现在可以想象一下

that if nectar

如果花蜜

is such a valuable thing

这种如此有价值的事物

and expensive for the plant to produce

对植物来说生产的代价高昂

and it attracts lots of pollinators,

且又能吸引许多传粉者，

then, just as in human sex,

那么，就如在人类性行为中的那样，

people might start to deceive.

人们或许开始相互欺骗。

They might say, "I've got a bit of nectar. Do you want to come and get it?"

它们或许会说，“我有些花蜜。你想来拿点么？”

Now this is a plant.

这是一株植物。

This is a plant here

这株植物

that insects in South Africa just love,

为南非的昆虫所喜爱。

and they've evolved with a long proboscis

它们进化出了长长的口器

to get the nectar at the bottom.

以获取底部的花蜜。

And this is the mimic.

这是个模仿者。

So this is a plant that is mimicking the first plant.

这种植物在模仿前一种植物。

And here is the long-probosced fly

有一种长着长口器的苍蝇

that has not gotten any nectar from the mimic,

它从假冒者那儿没得到任何花蜜。

because the mimic doesn't give it any nectar. It thought it would get some.

因为假冒者没给它任何花蜜。它以为它可以得到。

So not only has the fly

因此，不但苍蝇

not got the nectar from the mimic plant,

没有从假冒的植物那儿得到花蜜，

it's also -- if you look very closely

而且 -- 如果你非常近的观察

just at the head end, you can see that it's got a bit of pollen

头的顶部，你会看到那儿有些花粉

that it would be transmitting to another plant,

这些花粉将被传播到其他植株上，

if only some botanist hadn't come along

如果没有植物学家过来

and stuck it to a blue piece of card.

把它粘到一张蓝色卡片上的话。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now deceit carries on through the plant kingdom.

这种谎言遍布整个植物王国。

This flower with its black dots:

这朵带着黑点的花：

they might look like black dots to us,

它们或许在我们看来像是黑点，

but if I tell you, to a male insect of the right species,

但我告诉各位，对适当物种的雄性昆虫来说，

that looks like two females

这看起来像是两只

who are really, really hot to trot.

非常非常性感的雌性。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And when the insect gets there and lands on it,

当昆虫到达并在上面着陆时，

dousing itself in pollen, of course, that it's going to take to another plant,

把自己浸入花粉中，当然，这些花粉将会被它带到其他植物那儿去，

if you look at the every-home-should-have-one scanning electron microscope picture,

如果看看每个家庭都应该有的扫描电子显微镜的图像，

you can see that there are actually some patterning there,

就能看到实际上那儿有些图案，

which is three-dimensional.

三维的图案。

So it probably even feels good for the insect,

它甚至能让昆虫感觉到舒服，

as well as looking good.

看起来也不错。

And these electron microscope pictures --

这些电子显微镜图像 --

here's one of an orchid mimicking an insect --

这是一朵兰花在伪装成一只昆虫 --

you can see that different parts of the structure

你能看到对我们的眼睛来说，

have different colors and different textures to our eye,

结构的不同部分有着不同的色彩和不同的纹理,

have very, very different textures

而昆虫或许能感知到

to what an insect might perceive.

非常非常不同的纹理。

And this one is evolved to mimic

这种兰花进化至能模仿

a glossy metallic surface

在一些甲壳虫身上看到的

you see on some beetles.

有金属光泽的表面。

And under the scanning electron microscope,

在扫描电子显微镜下

you can see the surface there --

你能看到这表面 --

really quite different from the other surfaces we looked at.

这与我们看过的其他表面非常不同。

Sometimes the whole plant

有时整个植物会

mimics an insect, even to us.

模仿成一只昆虫，即使我们看来也像是昆虫。

I mean, I think that looks like some sort of flying animal or beast.

我的意思是，我认为这看起来像是某种飞行的动物或野兽。

It's a wonderful, amazing thing.

是美妙而神奇的事物。

This one's clever. It's called obsidian.

这是它的聪明之处。它被称为黑曜石。

I think of it as insidium sometimes.

我认为它有时是狡猾的。

To the right species of bee,

对于适合种类的蜜蜂来说，

this looks like another very aggressive bee,

这看起来像是另一只非常有侵略性的蜜蜂，

and it goes and bonks it on the head lots and lots of times to try and drive it away,

它会飞过来用头撞击它许多许多次，试着赶走它，

and, of course, covers itself with pollen.

当然，这会让它沾上花粉。

The other thing it does

它做的另一件事是

is that this plant mimics another orchid

这种植物模仿成另一种

that has a wonderful store

富含昆虫喜爱的

of food for insects.

食物的兰花。

And this one doesn't have anything for them.

但其实什么也没有。

So it's deceiving on two levels --

因此它在两个层面上进行欺骗 --

fabulous.

真难以置信。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Here we see ylang ylang,

我们看到的是依兰，

the component of many perfumes.

有浓烈香味的部分。

I actually smelt someone with some on earlier.

实际上我之前闻到过。

And the flowers don't really have to be that gaudy.

这些花实际上没有必要这么艳丽。

They're sending out a fantastic array of scent

它们散发出奇妙的香味

to any insect that'll have it.

吸引任何有兴趣的昆虫。

This one doesn't smell so good.

这朵花闻起来不怎么样。

This is a flower

这朵花

that really, really smells pretty nasty

实际上闻起来非常难闻

and is designed, again, evolved,

再提一次，这是进化而来，

to look like carrion.

它看起来像是腐肉。

So flies love this.

因此苍蝇喜欢它。

They fly in and they pollinate.

苍蝇飞进去并帮其授粉。

This, which is helicodiceros,

这是白星海芋，

is also known as dead horse arum.

也被称作死马海芋。

I don't know what a dead horse actually smells like,

我不知道死马闻起来什么味儿，

but this one probably smells pretty much like it.

但这朵花或许闻起来非常像。

It's really horrible.

实在太可怕了。

And blowflies just can't help themselves.

绿头蝇情不自禁。

They fly into this thing,

飞入其中，

and they fly all the way down it.

一路飞入其中。

They lay their eggs in it,

在上面产卵，

thinking it's a nice bit of carrion,

认为这是块很不错的腐肉，

and not realizing that there's no food for the eggs, that the eggs are going to die,

没有意识到这儿可没有卵的食物，这些卵会死在这儿，

but the plant, meanwhile, has benefited,

但同时这株植物会受益，

because the bristles release

因为硬毛松开

and the flies disappear

苍蝇消失了，

to pollinate the next flower -- fantastic.

授粉至另一朵花 -- 太奇妙了。

Here's arum, arum maculatum,

这是海芋植物，欧海芋，

"lords and ladies," or "cuckoo-pint" in this country.

斑叶阿若母，在这个国家称为延龄草。

I photographed this thing last week in Dorset.

我上周在多塞特拍摄的这个。

This thing heats up

这家伙加热升温

by about 15 degrees above ambient temperature --

比环境温度大约高15度 --

amazing.

不可思议。

And if you look down into it,

如果看看它内部，

there's this sort of dam past the spadix,

肉穗后面是个有点像大坝的东西，

flies get attracted by the heat --

苍蝇为热量所吸引 --

which is boiling off volatile chemicals, little midges --

这是种沸腾的挥发性化学物质，小虫 --

and they get trapped underneath in this container.

它们被困在这一容器下面。

They drink this fabulous nectar

它们痛饮甜美的花蜜

and then they're all a bit sticky.

接着都变得有点黏糊糊的。

At night they get covered in pollen,

在夜里它们被花粉覆盖，

which showers down over them,

由它们上面喷洒而下，

and then the bristles that we saw above,

然后我们在上面看到的硬毛

they sort of wilt and allow all these midges out, covered in pollen --

变得枯萎让这些浑身花粉的小虫得以逃出 --

fabulous thing.

真是难以置信。

Now if you think that's fabulous, this is one of my great favorites.

如果你认为这是难以置信的，这一个是我的最爱。

This is the philodendron selloum.

这是春羽蔓绿绒。

For anyone here from Brazil, you'll know about this plant.

在座从巴西来的人，应该都知道这种植物。

This is the most amazing thing.

这是最神奇的事物。

That sort of phallic bit there

它的雄蕊

is about a foot long.

有大约一英尺长。

And it does something

它有一种

that no other plant that I know of does,

据我所知没任何其他植物拥有的能力，

and that is that when it flowers --

当它盛开时 --

that's the spadix in the middle there --

这是在中间的肉穗 --

for a period of about two days,

大约两天时间，

it metabolizes in a way

它产生了某种程度的代谢变化

which is rather similar to mammals.

有些类似哺乳动物。

So instead of having starch,

并没拥有淀粉，

which is the food of plants,

这是植物的食物，

it takes something rather similar to brown fat

它拥有十分类似褐色脂肪的东西

and burns it at such a rate

以燃烧脂肪的速度

that it's burning fat, metabolizing,

燃烧它，进行代谢，

about the rate of a small cat.

大约以一只小猫的速度进行。

And that's twice the energy output, weight for weight,

按体重比，是蜂鸟的能量输出的

than a hummingbird --

两倍 --

absolutely astonishing.

绝对惊人。

This thing does something else which is unusual.

它还做了些不寻常的事。

Not only will it raise itself to 115 Fahrenheit,

不仅是它将升温至155华氏度，

43 or 44 degrees Centigrade, for two days,

43或44摄氏度，两天，

but it keeps constant temperature.

而且它将保持恒温。

There's a thermoregulation mechanism in there

其中有一个温度调节机制

that keeps constant temperature.

用于保持恒温。

"Now why does it do this," I hear you ask.

为什么要这么做？我听到你们问。

Now wouldn't you know it,

目前你们还不知道，

there's some beetles that just love to make love at that temperature.

有些甲壳虫就喜欢在这一温度下交配。

And they get inside, and they get it all on.

它们钻进去，沾满花粉。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And the plant showers them with pollen,

植物在它们身上撒满花粉，

and off they go and pollinate.

让它们离开，去授粉。

And what a wonderful thing it is.

这是多么奇妙的事情啊。

Now most pollinators

现在我们认为

that we think about are insects,

大多数传粉者是昆虫，

but actually in the tropics,

但实际上在热带地区，

many birds and butterflies pollinate.

许多鸟类和蝴蝶也进行传粉。

And many of the tropical flowers are red,

许多热带的花朵是红色的，

and that's because butterflies and birds

这是因为蝴蝶和鸟类

see similarly to us, we think,

与我们相似，我们认为，

and can see the color red very well.

能非常好的看到红色。

But if you look at the spectrum,

但如果你看看光谱，

birds and us, we see red, green and blue

鸟类和我们，我们看到红色，绿色和蓝色

and see that spectrum.

看到这一光谱。

Insects see green, blue and ultraviolet,

昆虫看到绿色，蓝色和紫外线，

and they see various shades of ultraviolet.

它们能看到各种明暗的紫外线。

So there's something that goes on off the end there.

在这后面还有些色彩。

"And wouldn't it be great if we could somehow see what that is," I hear you ask.

“如果我们能看到那些颜色难道不好吗，”我听到你们问。

Well yes we can.

是的，我们能看到。

So what is an insect seeing?

那么昆虫看到的是什么？

Last week I took these pictures of rock rose,

上周我拍了这些沙漠座莲的照片，

helianthemum, in Dorset.

半日花属，在多塞特。

These are little yellow flowers like we all see,

正如我们所看到的，这是些小黄花，

little yellow flowers all over the place.

到处都是这种小黄花。

And this is what it looks like with visible light.

在可见光下它看起来是这样的。

This is what it looks like if you take out the red.

如果去除红色看起来是这样。

Most bees don't perceive red.

多数蜜蜂无法感知红色。

And then I put some ultraviolet filters on my camera

接着我在我的镜头前放上紫外线滤镜

and took a very, very long exposure

在紫外线特定的频率下

with the particular frequencies of ultraviolet light

长时间的曝光，

and this is what I got.

就得到了这张照片。

And that's a real fantastic bull's eye.

这像是个真实的奇妙的靶心。

Now we don't know

现在我们不知道

exactly what a bee sees,

蜜蜂到底看到的是什么，

any more than you know what I'm seeing

当我称之为红色时，

when I call this red.

你们知道我在看什么。

We can't know what's going on in -- let alone an insect's --

我们无法知道其中发生了什么，不管是昆虫，

another human being's mind.

还是其他人类的脑中。

But the contrast will look something like that,

但对比度看起来大概是这样。

so standing out a lot from the background.

从背景中突显出来。

Here's another little flower --

这是另一种小花 --

different range of ultraviolet frequencies,

位于不同的紫外线频率区间，

different filters

不同的滤镜

to match the pollinators.

来匹配不同的传粉者。

And that's the sort of thing that it would be seeing.

它看起来大概是这样。

Just in case you think

为了避免你们认为

that all yellow flowers have this property --

所有黄色的花都有这一属性 --

no flower was damaged in the process of this shot;

在拍摄的过程中没有损伤花朵；

it was just attached to the tripod,

只是把它贴在三脚架上，

not killed --

没有摘下来 --

then under ultraviolet light,

在紫外光下，

look at that.

看看这个。

And that could be the basis of a sunscreen

这能作为防晒霜的基础，

because sunscreens work by absorbing ultraviolet light.

因为防晒霜是通过吸收紫外光来起作用的。

So maybe the chemical in that would be useful.

因此或许其中的化学物质有些用处。

Finally, there's one of evening primrose

最后，这是一朵夜来香

that Bjorn Rorslett from Norway sent me --

是挪威的Bjorn Rorslett发给我的 --

fantastic hidden pattern.

奇妙的隐藏模式。

And I love the idea of something hidden.

我喜欢这种隐藏的方式。

I think there's something poetic here,

我觉得这很有诗意。

that these pictures taken with ultraviolet filter,

这些照片是用紫外线滤镜拍摄的，

the main use of that filter

这种滤镜的主要用途是

is for astronomers to take pictures of Venus --

天文学家用来拍摄金星 --

actually the clouds of Venus.

实际上是金星上的云层。

That's the main use of that filter.

这是这种滤镜的主要用途。

Venus, of course, is the god of love and fertility,

当然，金星是爱与生育之神，

which is the flower story.

这是花的物语。

And just as flowers spend a lot of effort

正如花朵们花了这么多精力

trying to get pollinators to do their bidding,

尝试吸引传粉者接受它们的邀请，

they've also somehow managed to persuade us to plant great fields full of them

不知何故，它们也成功地让我们相信其中含有丰富内涵

and give them to each other

我们在出生和逝世时

at times of birth and death,

相互送出花朵，

and particularly at marriage,

尤其是婚礼时，

which, when you think of it,

当你想到它时，

is the moment that encapsulates

就在这一刻内

the transfer of genetic material

基因物质从

from one organism to another.

迁移一个有机体到另一个。

Thank you very much.

非常感谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）