自然的运作（2012）

幼虫在里面生长 工蚁在里面栖息
Inside the gall the larvae develop and the worker ants shelter.
一根树枝 可能就有一打或者更多瘿
A single branch might have a dozen or more galls.
当食草动物要以树为食时
When herbivores try to feed on a tree,
蚂蚁会开始袭击 咬它们 然后在伤口处注入毒素
the ants attack biting and then wiping poison into the wound.
大象十分讨厌这些蚂蚁
Elephants hate these ants,
它们会跑进 敏感的象鼻里 咬大象
which are thought to attack the inside of their sensitive trunks,
所以大象会远离口哨金合欢树
so elephants avoid the whistling acacias.
但长颈鹿可以利用这一食物源
But giraffes can exploit this food source.
它们可以合上狭窄的鼻孔
They can close their slit-like nostrils.
用它们又长又硬的舌头 在被咬前拭去蚂蚁
And use their long, tough tongues to wipe away the ants before being bitten.
但即使是长颈鹿 尤其小长颈鹿 最后也会不堪重负
But even for giraffes, especially the youngsters, it eventually gets too much.
它们必须继续前行离开树 身受轻伤
They have to move on, leaving the tree with only light surface wounds.
蚂蚁本身含有大量蛋白质 而另一种动物知道哪能找到它们
The ants themselves contain lots of protein and another animal knows where to find them.
赤猴
Patas monkeys.
作为大草原上的专家 它们在陆地时间比其他猴子要长
As grassland specialists, they spend more time on the ground than any other monkey.
它们用自己细长的双腿 快速地长时间移♥动♥
They use their long legs for walking great distances and for speed.
它们时速可达55公里 这让它们成为了速度最快的猴子
They can reach up to 55 kilometres per hour making them the fastest monkey.
它们用灵敏的手指抓住瘿
Their nimble fingers reach the galls.
用尖牙将其撕开
And their sharp teeth break the galls open.
里面的蚂蚁和幼虫能为猴子 提供所需卡路里的三分之一
The ants and larvae inside provide around a third of the monkey's calories.
但猴子在每颗树上 只能拿下一、两个瘿
But the monkey can only feed on one or two galls per tree
在蜂拥的蚂蚁扑上来前
before the swarming ants become too much.
蚂蚁弃置了裂开的瘿 其他的动物住了进去
The ants abandon the broken gall and something else moves in.
雅拉瓜壁虎
Dwarf geckos.
刚孵育出来时 这只小壁虎 只有12毫米长
When newly hatched this baby measured just 12 millimetres,
是世界上最小的 陆生脊椎动物之一
one of the smallest land-living vertebrates in the world.
又小又没有防御能力 让它们成为任何掠食动物攻击对象
Being tiny and defenseless leaves him open to attack from almost any size predator.
为了保护它微小 无助的新生壁虎
To protect her tiny, defenceless hatchlings,
壁虎母亲把蛋产在了瘿里 后者曾被猴子掰开过
the mother gecko lays her eggs inside a gall that was ripped open by a patas monkey.
她产下了两枚蛋 但不会孵育它们
She lays two eggs, but won't incubate them.
这些壁虎具有领土意识 所以她们不会走开太远
These geckos are territorial though, so she won't be far away.
由于她不会带来任何威胁 所以蚂蚁一般会忽略她
And because she poses no threat, the ants mostly ignore her.
敞开的瘿成为完美的巢和育儿所 躲在隐蔽处 没有阳光直射
The open gall forms a perfect nest and nursery, hidden away, protected from the sun,
又有荆棘守护 还有一群凶猛的妈蚁站岗
guarded by thorns and defended by an army of ferocious ants.
这一生命关系网跨越了草原 缺少氮的障碍而进化形成
This web of life has evolved despite the difficulty of finding nitrogen in grasslands.
这只是其中一个 动物互相关联的例子
It's just one example of how relationships between animals
这种关联 能够克服自然发起的挑战
can overcome the challenges that nature presents.
将草原转化成生机勃勃的 生态环境
Turning grasslands into thriving ecosystems.