Nalini Nadkarni explores canopy worlds

譯者: Aileen Huang 審譯者: Shelley Krishna Tsang

Trees are wonderful arenas for discovery

樹林是極佳的探索競技場

because of their tall stature, their complex structure,

因為他們身影高聳、結構複雜

the biodiversity they foster and their quiet beauty.

孕育多元生物，也有靜謐之美

I used to climb trees for fun all the time

我以前常常為了好玩去爬樹

and now, as a grown-up, I have made my profession understanding trees

但現在我長大了，我把了解樹木跟森林這件事

and forests, through the medium of science.

藉由科學轉化成我的職業

The most mysterious part of forests is the upper tree canopy.

森林中最神秘的莫過於樹冠層

And Dr. Terry Erwin, in 1983,

在1983年特裏·歐文博士

called the canopy, "the last biotic frontier."

稱樹冠層為「最後的生物前線」

I'd like to take you all on a journey up to the forest canopy,

我想帶你一同探索森林的樹冠

and share with you what canopy researchers are asking

跟你分享樹冠研究員的疑問

and also how they're communicating with other people outside of science.

以及他們如何跟這門科學之外的人溝通

Let's start our journey on the forest floor

讓旅程從森林落葉層開始吧

of one of my study sites in Costa Rica.

哥斯大黎加是我研究的地點之一

Because of the overhanging leaves and branches,

因為那些延伸的樹葉跟枝幹

you'll notice that the understory is very dark,

你會發現下層非常的暗

it's very still.

而且很靜謐

And what I'd like to do is take you up to the canopy,

我想帶你們體驗冠層

not by putting all of you into ropes and harnesses,

不是利用安全繩索把你們吊上去

but rather showing you a very short clip

而是分享一個短片

from a National Geographic film called "Heroes of the High Frontier."

名為「雨林頂探險家」，由《國家地理》拍攝

This was filmed in Monteverde, Costa Rica

拍攝地點是哥斯大黎加的Monteverde

and I think it gives us the best impression of what it's like

我覺得這最能說明

to climb a giant strangler fig.

爬上巨大的絞殺榕的感覺

(Music)

(音樂)

(Growling)

(咆嘯聲)

(Rustling)

(沙沙聲響)

So what you'll see up there is that it's really like the atmosphere of an open field,

你會看到，在這上頭的感受其實跟廣闊平原沒兩樣

and there are tremendous numbers of plants and animals that have adapted

這裡有大量的動植物已經適應進化

to make their way and their life in the canopy.

然後在樹冠層找到一片天

Common groups, like the sloth here, have clear adaptations

常見的動物如樹懶，很明顯的已經適應樹冠層的生活

for forest canopies, hanging on with their very strong claws.

以非常強壯的爪子懸吊著

But I'd like to describe to you a more subtle kind of diversity

我想跟你描述的是更微妙的多樣性

and tell you about the ants.

我想跟你分享螞蟻

There are 10,000 species of ants that taxonomists --

分類學家在這裡分出了10,000種類的螞蟻

people who describe and name animals -- have named.

分類學家專們形容跟命名動物名稱

4,000 of those ants live exclusively in the forest canopy.

這其中有4,000種螞蟻只活動於樹冠層

One of the reasons I tell you about ants

我為什麼要跟你提螞蟻呢

is because of my husband, who is in fact an ant taxonomist

是因為我老公正是一名螞蟻分類學家

and when we got married, he promised to name an ant after me, which he did --

我們結婚的時候 他答應我要以我的名字為一種螞蟻命名

Procryptocerus nalini, a canopy ant.

他真的做到了 ， Procryptocerus nalini 是一種樹冠螞蟻

We've had two children, August Andrew and Erika

我們的兩個孩子，August Andrew跟 Erika

and actually, he named ants after them.

也有螞蟻以他們的名字命名

So we may be the only family that has an ant named after each one of us.

我們大概是唯一一家名字全都用來為螞蟻命名的家庭吧

But my passion -- in addition to Jack and my children --

除了在杰克跟孩子們之外

are the plants, the so-called epiphytes,

我的熱情全數投入植物世界中所謂的附生植物

those plants that grow up on trees.

這些是生長在樹木上的植物

They don't have roots that go into trunks nor to the forest floor.

他們沒有深入樹幹或是落葉層的根

But rather, it is their leaves that are adapted

反倒是他們的葉子進化來適應環境

to intercept the dissolved nutrients that come to them in the form of mist and fog.

擷取霧裡融於水氣中的養分

These plants occur in great diversity,

這些植物相當多元

over 28,000 species around the world.

全世界有超過28,000種類

They grow in tropical forests like this one

他們生長於熱帶雨林 像這一個

and they also grow in temperate rainforests, that we find in Washington state.

他們也生長在溫帶雨林 如華盛頓州的

These epiphytes are mainly dominated by the mosses.

苔蘚是附生植物的最大宗

One thing I want to point out is that underneath these live epiphytes,

我要強調的是在這些附生植物的下層

as they die and decompose, they actually construct an arboreal soil,

在它們死亡跟分解的同時，它們同時也製造樹上的土壤

both in the temperate zone and in the tropics.

在溫帶及熱帶地區都一樣

And these mosses, generated by decomposing,

而這些苔蘚大多藉由分解苔蘚而生

are like peat moss in your garden.

就跟你院子裡的泥炭蘚一樣

They have a tremendous capacity for holding on to nutrients and water.

它們吸收養分及水分的能力非常強

One of the surprising things I discovered

讓我最驚奇的是

is that, if you pull back with me on those mats of epiphytes,

當你把這像毯子一樣的附生植物拉起來的時候

what you'll find underneath them are connections, networks

你會發現下層佈滿連結、網絡

of what we call canopy roots.

就是我們所謂的樹冠根系

These are not epiphyte roots:

這些不是著生根系

these are roots that emerge from the trunk and branch of the host trees themselves.

這些是從寄主樹木本體生出的

And so those epiphytes are actually paying the landlord a bit of rent

所以這些附生植物其實在繳房租給房東

in exchange for being supported high above the forest floor.

以換取在更高的生存空間

I was interested, and my canopy researcher colleagues have been interested

我跟我的研究員同事們都很感興趣的是

in the dynamics of the canopy plants that live in the forest.

森林中樹冠植物的動態

We've done stripping experiments

我們做了剝解的實驗

where we've removed mats of epiphytes

我們移除幾片毯狀的附生植物©

and looked at the rates of recolonization.

研究她們復原的速度

We had predicted that they would grow back very quickly

我們預測復原的速度很快

and that they would come in encroaching from the side.

而且會從邊緣重新侵占

What we found, however, was that they took an extremely long time --

但我們發現復原期其實相當久

over 20 years -- to regenerate,

超過20年

starting from the bottom and growing up.

它們從下往上生長

And even now, after 25 years,

到現在，已經過了25年

they're not up there, they have not recolonized completely.

它們還沒長到最上層，還沒完全復原

And I use this little image to say

我以這小圖像做說明

this is what happens to mosses.

苔蘚的狀況是這樣的

If it's gone, it's gone,

一旦被移除，它就消失了

and if you're really lucky you might get something growing back from the bottom.

幸運的話，可能有些東西會從下層開始長回去

(Laughter)

笑聲

So, recolonization is really very slow.

所以復原期非常緩慢

These canopy communities are fragile.

這些樹冠生態是脆弱的

Well, when we look out, you and I, over that canopy

現在我們來看看那一邊的樹冠

of the intact primary forest,

在這片完整的原始森林

what we see is this enormous carpet of carbon.

我們看到超大面積的碳

One of the challenges that canopy researchers are attacking today

樹冠研究員現今面臨的挑戰之一

is trying to understand the amount of carbon that is being sequestered.

就是查出被隔離的碳的數量

We know it's a lot,

我們知道很大量

but we do not yet know the answers to how much,

但是我們不知道到底有多少

and by what processes, carbon is being taken out of the atmosphere,

也不知道是什麼過程

held in its biomass, and moving on through the ecosystem.

讓大氣從生物質裡移除碳，在生態中流動

So I hope I've showed you that canopy-dwellers

我們來看看樹冠層的居民

are not just insignificant bits of green up high in the canopy

不只是高掛在樹冠上不起眼的綠色物體

that Tarzan and Jane were interested in,

讓泰山跟珍著迷不已的東西

but rather that they foster biodiversity

而是它們在促進生物多樣性

contribute to ecosystem nutrient cycles,

在生態系統的養分循環中的貢獻

and they also help to keep our global climate stable.

它們也幫助穩定地球氣候

Up in the canopy, if you were sitting next to me

在樹冠上，如果你坐在我旁邊

and you turned around from those primary forest ecosystems,

如果你看看周遭的原始森林的生態系統

you would also see scenes like this.

你會看到這種景象

Scenes of forest destruction, forest harvesting

森林採伐及毀壞

and forest fragmentation,

以及林地的分割

thereby making that intact tapestry of the canopy

造成樹冠層的完整毯狀

unable to function in the marvelous ways that it has

無法如尚未遭人類破壞時

when it is not disturbed by humans.

發揮良好的功能

I've also looked out on urban places like this

我也研究了像這種的都市地區

and thought about people who are disassociated from trees in their lives.

思考人類如何將樹木從生活互動中抹去

People who grew up in a place like this

人們在這種環境中生長

did not have the opportunity to climb trees and form a relationship with trees

沒有爬樹的機會，無法跟樹木還有森林建立關係

and forests, as I did when I was a young girl.

當我還是少女的時候

This troubles me.

這很困擾我

Here in 2009, you know, it's not an easy thing to be a forest ecologist,

你也知道在現今2009年，要成為森林的生態學家很困難

gripping ourselves with these kinds of questions

埋首於這類問題之中

and trying to figure out how we can answer them.

試圖尋找答案

And especially, you know, as a small brown woman

你知道尤其是矮小的褐色女人

in a little college, in the upper northwest part of our country,

在我們國家西北部的小學院

far away from the areas of power and money,

遠離金錢跟權利的地方

I really have to ask myself, "What can I do about this?

我真的得問問自己「我就竟能做些什麼？」

How can I reconnect people with trees?"

「我該如何讓人根樹木連結？」

Well, I think that I can do something.

我真的覺得我可以做些什麼

I know that as a scientist, I have information

我知道身為一個科學家，我有資訊

and as a human being, I can communicate with anybody,

身為一個人，我有跟任何人溝通的本領

inside or outside of academia.

學術圈內或外的領域都可以

And so, that's what I've begin doing,

所以這就是我埋首在做的事情

and so I'd like to unveil the International Canopy Network here.

我要揭開國際樹冠層網絡的謎底

We consult to the media about canopy questions;

我們跟媒體說明樹冠的問題

we have a canopy newsletter;

我們有樹冠層的刊物

we have an email LISTSERV.

還有通訊錄

And so we're trying to disseminate information about the importance of the canopy,

我們嘗試宣導樹冠層的重要性

the beauty of the canopy,

以及樹冠層的美

the necessity of intact canopies,

還有完整樹冠層的必要性

to people outside of academia.

讓學術圈之外的人了解

We also recognize that a lot of the products that we make --

我們也發現我們製做的很多產品

those videos and so forth --

像是這些影片跟其他的

you know, they don't reach everybody,

無法廣泛流傳

and so we've been fostering projects that reach people outside of academia,

因此我們構思活動跟學術圈外的民眾

and outside of the choir that most ecologists preach to.

還有學術圈較常接觸的團體之外的人做互動

Treetop Barbie is a great example of that.

樹梢芭比是個很好的例子

What we do, my students in my lab and I,

我跟我實驗室的學生

is we buy Barbies from Goodwill and Value Village,

從Goodwill and Value Village 買回芭比

we dress her in clothes that have been made by seamstresses

我們幫她穿上裁縫師做的衣服

and we send her out with a canopy handbook.

然後把她附上一本樹冠手冊後一起寄出

And my feeling is --

我覺得

(Applause)

(掌聲)

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

(掌聲)

-- that we've taken this pop icon and we have just tweaked her a little bit

我們在這流行文化的指標物做了一點手腳

to become an ambassador who can carry the message

讓它成為訊息傳達的大使

that being a woman scientist studying treetops is actually a really great thing.

讓大家知道女科學家研究樹冠層是很棒的一件事

We've also made partnerships with artists,

我們也跟藝術家合作

with people who understand and can communicate the aesthetic beauty

跟認同我們而且能以美學傳達

of trees and forest canopies.

森林跟樹冠層之美的人合作

And I'd like to just tell you one of our projects,

我還想跟你們分享一個計畫

which is the generation of Canopy Confluences.

那就是樹冠匯流世代

What I do is I bring together scientists and artists of all kinds,

我集合了科學家跟各類的藝術家

and we spend a week in the forest on these little platforms;

我們花一週的時間在森林裡的平台上

and we look at nature, we look at trees, we look at the canopy,

觀察大自然、樹木還有樹冠層

and we communicate, and exchange, and express what we see together.

我們溝通、分享、表達我們的觀察

The results have been fantastic.

這活動的結果很精彩

I'll just give you a few examples.

我讓你們看幾個範例

This is a fantastic installation by Bruce Chao

這奇妙的裝置是Bruce Chao的作品

who is chair of the Sculpture and Glass Blowing Department

他是羅德島設計學院的

at Rhode Island School of Design.

雕塑和玻璃吹制部的院長

He saw nests in the canopy at one of our Canopy Confluences

他在樹冠上看到鳥巢

in the Pacific Northwest, and created this beautiful sculpture.

在太平洋西北部的樹冠匯流之中，然後創造了這美麗的雕塑

We've had dance people up in the canopy.

我們還帶了舞蹈家上樹冠

Jodi Lomask, and her wonderful troupe Capacitor,

Jodi Lomask以及他優秀的Capacitor劇團

joined me in the canopy in my rainforest site in Costa Rica.

跟我一起去了我在哥斯大黎加的研究點

They made a fabulous dance called "Biome."

他們創造一支精彩的舞叫做「Biome」

They danced in the forest,

他們在森林裡起舞

and we are taking this dance, my scientific outreach communications,

我們要拿這支舞接觸科學界之外的社群

and also linking up with environmental groups,

並且串連不同的環境團體

to go to different cities and to perform

到各地演出

the science, the dance and the environmental outreach

這是科學、舞蹈跟環境的延伸

that we hope will make a difference.

我們希望能掀起一片漣洟

We brought musicians to the canopy,

我們把音樂家帶到了樹冠層

and they made their music -- and it's fantastic music.

讓她們在那裡演奏，非常美妙

We had wooden flutists, we had oboists,

我們有木製長笛家跟雙簧管家

we had opera singers, we had guitar players,

還有聲樂家跟吉他手

and we had rap singers.

也有饒舌歌手

And I brought a little segment to give you

我準備了一小段跟你們分享

of Duke Brady's "Canopy Rap."

Duke Brady的 「樹冠饒舌」

(Music) That's Duke!

這就是Duke!

(Applause)

掌聲

This experience of working with Duke

跟Duke的工作經驗

also led me to initiate a program called Sound Science.

開啟我的另一個計畫叫做聲音科學

I saw the power of Duke's song with urban youth --

我見識到Duke的歌曲在都會年輕人裡的力量

an audience, you know, I as a middle-aged professor,

一群聽眾 你知道我是ㄧ個中年的教授

I don't have a hope of getting to --

要我打入他們宣導

in terms of convincing them of the importance of wildlands.

野地的重要性是毫無希望的

So I engaged Caution, this rap singer,

所以我找了Caution，這個饒舌歌手

with a group of young people from inner-city Tacoma.

跟一群來自塔科馬市中心的年輕人

We went out to the forest, I would pick up a branch,

他們進入森林，然後我撿起一支樹枝

Caution would rap on it,

Caution就會來一段關於那支樹枝的饒舌曲

and suddenly that branch was really cool.

頓時那隻樹枝就變得很酷

And then the students would come into our sound studios,

然後學生就來我們的錄音室

they would make their own rap songs with their own beats.

以自己的節奏創作饒舌歌

They ended up making a CD

最後集結成CD

which they took home to their family and friends,

拿回家跟朋友還有家人分享

thereby expressing their own experiences with nature

他們跟大自然的互動經驗

in their own medium.

以他們自己的表達方式

The final project I'll talk about is one that's very close to my heart,

我要談論的最後一個計畫是我最關切的

and it involves an economic and social value

它是附生植物跟

that is associated with epiphytic plants.

經濟和社會的價值

In the Pacific Northwest,

在西北太平洋

there's a whole industry of moss-harvesting

這裡有一個苔蘚採伐的產業

from old-growth forests.

從古老森林採伐

These mosses are taken from the forest;

這些苔蘚從古老森林採出後

they're used by the floriculture industry, by florists,

應用在花藝產業

to make arrangements and make hanging baskets.

花藝家利用他們做吊籃及插花

It's a 265 million dollar industry

這是ㄧ個2.65億美元的產業

and it's increasing rapidly.

而且成長迅速

If you remember that bald guy,

如果你還記得那個禿頭的傢伙

you'll know that what has been stripped off of these trunks

你就知道在西北太平洋古老森林裡

in the Pacific Northwest old-growth forest

這些苔蘚被剝光的樹幹

is going to take decades and decades to come back.

需要多少年才能復原

So this whole industry is unsustainable.

這樣的產業不是永續性的

What can I, as an ecologist, do about that?

那身為生態學家的我又能做些什麼呢?

Well, my thought was that I could learn how to grow mosses,

我想或許我能研究如何種植苔蘚

and that way we wouldn't have to take them out of the wild.

這樣一來就能讓古老森林免於採伐

And I thought, if I had some partners that could help me with this,

如果有人能跟我合作的話

that would be great.

應該很不錯

And so, I thought perhaps incarcerated men and women --

所以我想到了監禁中的男人跟女人

who don't have access to nature,

他們沒有機會接觸大自然

who often have a lot of time, they often have space,

確有很多時間，通常也有很多空間

and you don't need any sharp tools to work with mosses --

苔蘚栽種的工作工具沒有尖銳物品

would be great partners.

他們會是很好的合作夥伴

And they have become excellent partners.

而他們的確是完美的夥伴

The best I can imagine.

比我想像中的還好

They were very enthusiastic.

因為他們非常的積極

(Applause)

掌聲

They were incredibly enthusiastic about the work.

他們工作的很起勁

They learned how to distinguish different species of mosses,

學會分辨各類的苔蘚

which, to tell you the truth,

坦白說

is a lot more than my undergraduate students at the Evergreen College can do.

比我在Evergreen College的教的大學生知道的還多

And they embraced the idea that they could help develop a research design

他們熱衷參與能夠培養苔蘚的

in order to grow these mosses.

研究設計

We've been successful as partners

我們是很成功的合作夥伴

in figuring out which species grow the fastest,

特別是在找出生長速度最快的品種的合作上

and I've just been overwhelmed with how successful this has been.

我們的成功讓我受寵若驚

Because the prison wardens were very enthusiastic about this as well,

因為就連獄警也非常熱心

I started a Science and Sustainability Seminar in the prisons.

所以我在監獄裡開設了科學與永續的講座

I brought my scientific colleagues and sustainability practitioners into the prison.

我把科學研究的同事還有永續經營的力行者帶到監獄裡

We gave talks once a month,

每個月一次舉辦講座

and that actually ended up implementing

藉由講座在監獄裡落實一些

some amazing sustainability projects at the prisons --

非常好的永續計畫

organic gardens, worm culture, recycling,

有機菜園、蟲培育、環保

water catchment and beekeeping. (Applause)

集水工法跟養蜂

Our latest endeavor,

我們最新的發展有經費贊助

with a grant

掌聲

from the Department of Corrections at Washington state,

由華盛頓州的校正部門提撥的經費

they've asked us to expand this program to three more prisons.

邀請我們擴大推行這個計畫到更多的監獄

And our new project is having the inmates and ourselves

我們的新計畫不僅有我們更有受刑人的參與

learn how to raise the Oregon spotted frog

學習養殖俄勒岡州的斑點青蛙

which is a highly endangered amphibian in Washington state and Oregon.

這是華盛頓州跟俄勒岡州的高度瀕危兩棲動物

So they will raise them -- in captivity, of course --

他們會進行人工養殖作業

from eggs to tadpoles and onward to frogs.

從卵到蝌蚪一直到青蛙

And they will have the pleasure, many of them,

他們會有許多樂趣的

of seeing those frogs that they've raised from eggs and helped develop,

很多人會看到這些青蛙的成長

helped nurture, move out into protected wildlands

明白自己參與的復育計畫，保護野地♫

to augment the number of endangered species out there in the wild.

讓瀕臨絕種的物種增加數量並回歸自然

And so, I think for many reasons --

基於很多理由

ecological, social, economic and perhaps even spiritual --

生態的、社會的、經濟的甚至性靈的層面

this has been a tremendous project

都涵蓋在這龐大計畫的範圍裡

and I'm really looking forward to

我真的非常期待

not only myself and my students doing it,

不只是我跟我的學生參與

but also to promote and teach other scientists how to do this.

而是推廣並教導更多科學家如何推廣

As many of you are aware, the world of academia is a rather inward-looking one.

如同你們許多人所知，學術界是很封閉的

I'm trying to help researchers move more outward

我希望幫助研究人員走出來

to have their own partnerships

拓展自己的合作關係

with people outside of the academic community.

跟學術界之外的社群

And so I'm hoping that my husband Jack, the ant taxonomist,

我也希望杰克，我的先生，螞蟻分類學家

can perhaps work with Mattel to make Taxonomist Ken.

能開始跟Mattel發起螞蟻分類學的Ken

Perhaps Ben Zander and Bill Gates could get together

或是班傑明‧詹德跟比爾‧蓋茲能攜手

and make an opera about AIDS.

製作關於愛滋病的歌劇

Or perhaps Al Gore and Naturally 7 could make a song about climate change

或是高爾跟Naturally 7能一起創作關於氣候變遷的歌曲

that would really make you clap your hands.

那真的會讓你們掌聲不斷

So, although it's a little bit of a fantasy, I think it's also a reality.

這些只是點小幻想，面對現實的時候

Given the duress that we're feeling environmentally in these times,

我們感受到這段時期環境的脅迫

it is time for scientists to reach outward,

這是科學家向外拓展的時期

and time for those outside of science to reach towards academia as well.

也是外界參與科學及學術研究的時候

I started my career with trying to understand the mysteries of forests

我的事業始於試圖了解森林的奧秘

with the tools of science.

科學是我的工具

By making these partnerships that I described to you,

經由我形容的夥伴合作關係

I have really opened my mind and, I have to say, my heart

我真的大開眼界

to have a greater understanding,

打開心房更想了解

to make other discoveries about nature and myself.

更想發現更多關於自然以及我自己

When I look into my heart, I see trees --

當我凝視我的內心，我看到樹木

this is actually an image of a real heart --

它的形體就像一顆真正的心

there are trees in our hearts,

存在我們心中

there are trees in your hearts.

這些樹都在我們的心中

When we come to understand nature,

當我們了解大自然

we are touching the most deep, the most important parts of our self.

我們會觸碰到最深最重要的自我

In these partnerships, I have also learned

我在這些合作關係中學到

that people tend to compartmentalize themselves

人總是愛畫框框侷限自己

into IT people, and movie star people, and scientists,

成為IT人、電影人、科學家

but when we share nature,

但是當我們分享大自然

when we share our perspectives about nature,

當我們分享我們對自然的觀點

we find a common denominator.

我們會找到共同點

Finally, as a scientist and as a person

最後以科學家跟人類的身分

and now, as part of the TED community,

在這個當下，身為TED社團團員之一

I feel that I have better tools

我覺得我有更好的工具

to go out to trees, to go out to forests, to go out to nature,

接觸樹木，擁抱森林跟大自然

to make new discoveries about nature --

發現大自然的新面貌

and about humans' place in nature

而關於人在自然裡的定位

wherever we are and whomever you are.

不論我們身在何處，不論我們的身分

Thank you very much.

非常感謝你

(Applause)

掌聲