自然的运作（2012）

海岸雨林下起了大雪
Triggered by snowfall in the rain coast forest,
灰熊妈妈正带领着孩子 躲在安全的地方
this mother bear is leading her cubs to the safety of a den.
满载的鲑鱼 它们可在 未来的5个月好好生活着
Plump on salmon, they will survive here for the next 5 months.
与此同时 北边最大的森林中 树蛙也因为气温的骤降而结冰
Meanwhile in the great North Woods as the temperature plummets wood frogs freeze solid.
它们血液中的"防冻剂" 维持着生命
Antifreeze in their blood keeps them alive.
这些锦龟刚刚完成孵化
These painted turtles have just hatched
但是也被冻在巢穴中 直到春天降临带来食物
but they too freeze in their nests until food comes along with the spring.
整个森林都在冬眠
The seasonal forest is in suspended animation.
仍有一些小淘气
But not all sleeps.
有的哺乳类动物和小鸟 会冒着风险寻觅食物
Small mammals and birds venture into the cold to search for food.
用身上的皮毛遮档风霜 而这时
With oily fur resistant to frost, this Wolverine is looking for a meal.
对于这些已经走了30公里 寻找食物的狼獾来说是个好时机
He may need to travel up to 30 kilometres a day to find it.
那些0.5吨♥重2.5米高的驼鹿
This moose is roaming its territory.
在自己的领地里闲逛着
Weighing half a ton and standing up to two and a half metres tall
在北美洲 这是最大的陆地哺乳类动物
this is the largest land mammal in North America.
它们的长腿能在厚厚的雪地里 自♥由♥行走
Its long legs are perfectly adapted to walk through deep snow.
为了隔离寒气 它们毛绒丰厚且呈中空状
And for extra insulation its thick fur is made of hollow hairs.
驼鹿在冬天吃树枝就可以存活
Moose can survive the winter by browsing on barren twigs and bark.
白尾鹿就不一样了
White tailed deer have a much more difficult time.
它们适应了 南方那种温暖的气候
They are adapted to life in warm climates further south,
这些森林是它们所能适应的 最靠北的地方了
these forests are as far north as they can survive.
体型只有驼鹿四分之一的 白尾鹿会感到寒冷
One quarter the size of a moose their small bodies feel the cold.
由于腿短 无法在雪地里稳稳行走
And their short legs make walking in snow treacherous.
针叶树下面的雪都很浅
Beneath conifer trees the snow is shallower
而且树叶或多或少 可以保持空气中的温度
and the canopy helps to keep the air a few degrees warmer.
尽管如此 仍有许多动物在冬季死亡
Despite this many will succumb to the winter.
那些已经腐斓的动物 为清道夫提供了美味的食物
And those animals that perish provide a crucial source of food for scavengers.
狼獾找到了新鲜的腐肉
The wolverine has found fresh carrion.
贪吃也是由于 它那巨大无比的胃口
His voracious appetite earns him his nickname, Glutton.
这种能力让狼獾 顺利地生存下来
This capacity to feast will help him to survive the winter until he finds another meal.
森林对于清道夫来说 并不是最终的归宿
But these forests aren't just home to scavengers.
在北方森林 捕食者们还会卷土重来
In the great North Woods a deadly predator has made a big comeback.
猞猁
The lynx.
它们能够顺利存活要归功于 一种特殊的关系
It owes its success to an extraordinary connection.
来自缅因州内陆渔业 和野生动物科的专家们
Scientists from Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
一直在探索这些猞猁 是怎么生存下来的
are tracking lynx to understand how it's possible for so many to live here.
科学家们希望经由一只雌性猞猁 的无线电项圈来获得有用的资料
And they hope to catch a female to retrieve valuable data from her radio collar.
这些神出鬼没的猞猁有自己的 活动领地 差不多有700平方千米
These elusive cats can have home ranges as big as 700 square kilometres.
空中发来信♥号♥♥
From the air the radio signal is detected.
24-12 我给你个座标
24-12 I have the coordinates for you.
正是野生生物学家珍瓦逊 想要抓住的那只
It's the female lynx that wildlife biologist Jen Vashon is hoping to catch.
可以行动了
Now it's time to go in on the ground.
我们可以根据这些 崭新的踪迹来设置陷阱
These fresh tracks are a sure sign that this is a good place to set a trap.
我们在里面放了一大块肉
A chunk of meat to draw it in.
我们得耐心点 万事俱备 只欠东风
All that's needed now is patience, and a lot of luck.
24小时之后 该回去看看了
24 hours later it's time to return,
恰好有只猞猁 是北美洲最有特色的品种
and there's a lynx, one of North America's most distinctive predators.
但不是珍想要找到的那只
But this is not the female that Jen was hoping to find.
上面标的是L1-11 一只成年雄性猞猁
Indicates it's L1-11, an adult male.
这是只雄性猞猁 珍很了解它
It's a male, and she knows him well.
它的编号♥是L1-11 而且已经被逮了好几次了
He's called L1-11 and he's been caught a few times.
珍知道它的妈妈就住在北边
Jen knew his mother who lived just north of here.
现在这只L1-11还很健康
And now she knows that L1-11 is still healthy
生活在八年前它出生地的附近
and living very close to where he was born 8 years ago.
更重要的是它似乎已经是 几窝幼崽的爸爸了
More importantly he's likely to have fathered several litters of kittens.
L1-11只是缅因州 上千猞猁中的一只
L1-11 is just one of up to a thousand lynx living in Maine.
从历史的角度来看
A historical high.
很多猞猁都生活在这里
For so many lynx to exist here
北部森林得提供足够多的食物 才能保持生态平衡
the great north woods must be able to support thousands of prey animals.
它们的踪迹无处不在
Their tracks are everywhere.
白靴兔
Snowshoe hare.
它可以轻易就构到高处的树枝
He's getting a helping hand from the snow to reach higher branches,
兔子总是会时刻保持警惕
but he can never let his guard down.
白靴兔能在几年之内快速繁殖 它们的数量呈百倍增长
Hares can breed so rapidly that in just a few years their population can multiply one hundred times.
可以给猞猁提供大量食物
Plenty for the lynx to eat.
想要捉住还不是一件易事
But this hare won't come easy.
它们在雪地里悄无声息地穿行
Moving silently, he disappears on the snowy forest floor,
能够迅速钻进地下
and quickly dives for cover into the undergrowth.
这就是野兔的避难所
This is the hare's safe-house.
大树下的灌木不但能掩护白靴兔 还给它们提供食物和容身之所
The undergrowth not only provides protection but food, and shelter.
没灌木掩护 猞猁将捕获更多兔子 不久之后白靴兔数量就会遽减
Without this the lynx would catch more hares and soon the hare population would plummet.
而猞猁的数量也会随之减少
And the lynx population would soon follow.
因此 地表的掩护层对白靴兔 甚至猞猁 都是至关重要的
So this ground cover is vital for the hares, and in turn this is vital for the lynx.
然而有种小动物让大地更添生机 它们此刻正舒服地在树皮里冬眠
But it's only abundant here because of a tiny animal that right now is asleep, snugly in the bark.
它是云杉蚜虫
The spruce budworm caterpillar.
它正期待着春天的到来
It's waiting for spring.
北半球开始转向 太阳直射的一边
The northern hemisphere faces back, towards the sun.
白天开始变长 冰雪消融 万物复苏
The hours of daylight increase, the ground thaws and life wakes up.
成千上万的乌梢蛇正爬出 它们冬眠的洞穴 重见天日
Thousands of garter snakes are emerging from their winter dens.
它们沐浴在初春的暖阳下
They warm up in the spring sun.
这正是乌梢蛇交♥配♥的好时机
This is their one chance to mate.
落叶堆下 树蛙正从厚厚的冰冻中苏醒
Under the leaf litter wood frogs wake up from a deep freeze.
洞穴中的锦龟 身上的冰雪 正慢慢融化
Painted turtles thaw in their nests.
森林正在恢复以往的生机
The forest is coming back to life.
春天里 因为这些青蛙和乌龟 早早就钻出地表
By being quick to emerge in the spring
所以可以最先桃选食物
these frogs and turtles have the first pickings of food.
这些树蛙要在天敌到来之前 将卵产在冰雪融水里
And these wood frogs spawn in the melt water before many of their predators return.
但是对于有的动物 春天却带来了一些麻烦
But for some animals spring brings its own problems.
厚厚的雪层已经融化 白靴兔无法吃到高处的树叶
Now the snow has melted this snowshoe hare can no longer reach the leaves higher up.
更重要的是 如果它无法按时 换上自己的春装
But more importantly if he doesn't change into his spring coat at just the right time
它会像因疼痛被迫伸出来的拇指 很容易被猞猁捕获
he will 'stick out' like a sore thumb, a more visible target for the lynx.
在北部的大♥片♥丛林中 那些云杉和冷衫树
In the great north woods these spruce and fir trees endured the winter
以其柔软的杉针和体内的 含水层度过了严冬
because of their waxy needles preserving moisture inside,
但现在是春天 它们将面临挑战
but now that it's spring they're under attack.
在树冠上 一只小云杉蚜虫 正钻出它的洞穴
Up in the canopy, a tiny spruce budworm caterpillar is emerging from his winter hiding place
它正迫不及待地储存脂肪
and he's racing to fatten up.
这些生长中的云杉和冷衫针叶 正是它甜美的午餐
And all these growing spruce and fir needles are the perfect meal.
一无中 此时的针叶最为柔软多汁
At this time of year they're soft and succulent.
当小蚜虫 吃完一个枝头上的针叶
And when he's finished on one branch,
吐出一串丝 它又能爬到 另外一个枝头上去
by releasing a strand of silk he can move to the next.
如此高效的移♥动♥方法 有助于它吃得更多
So effective is he in moving from branch to branch to find more food,
它能将自己增重两倍半
he'll be able to increase his weight by two and a half thousand percent.
这些大肥虫的胃口很难满足
These big budworm caterpillars have insatiable appetites.
然而让自己变得肥硕而多汁 却是件有风险的事情
It's a risky business being fat and juicy,
它正处在被那些新迁进的 饥饿的黄莺发现的危险境地
he's in danger of being spied by these hungry Warblers fresh from migration.
但是它能将自己隐藏起来
But he can go incognito.
用吐出的丝将几个杉针织在一起 编成一个帐篷
Using silk he's weaving needles together to make a tent.
然后安然无恙地躺在里面 食物能维持到它化蛹的那天
Safe inside he can eat away until it's time to pupate.
单单一只小蚜虫 不会对一稞树构成威胁
Alone a single budworm isn't much of a problem to a tree
但是科学家们发现 十几年后 云衫蚜虫的数量会激增
but scientists have discovered that over decades the spruce budworm population can boom.
这只蚜虫变成了一只 会给树木传播疾病的动物
This budworm is transforming into a creature that could spell disaster for the trees.
云杉蚜虫蛾
The spruce budworm moth.
它的翅膀膨胀起来
Her wings inflate.
它现在身负一项艰钜的任务 那就是交♥配♥ 让后代遍布整个森林
She is now on an unrelenting mission to mate and spread her progeny through the forest.
它会飞300公里
She fly's as far as 300 kilometres,
去寻找最多汁健硕的针叶 产下自己的卵
in search of the most succulent and healthiest needles on which to lay her eggs.
这些卵就像定时炸♥弹♥
These eggs are ticking time bombs.
这片长满云杉和冷杉的森林 给这种蚜虫提供无穷无尽的餐点
This forest of tightly packed spruce and fir is an endless buffet for the budworm.
蚜虫大军迅速壮大
Here the army of caterpillars fattens up quickly,
从一棵树移到另一稞树 如同 在人与人之间传播一种病毒一般
easily moving from tree to tree like humans passing on a virus.
其数量呈螺旋式上升 失去控制
Their population is spiralling out of control.
年复一年 它们如同瘟疫一般 当苏醒后只剩被它们剥光的死树
Year after year like a plague they strip the forest leaving dead trees in their wake.
但不是对一切事物 都是一场灾难
But these outbreaks aren't a disaster for everything.
像黄莺一样的蚜虫的天敌 因此而繁殖更快 数量更多了
Fully nourished on budworm birds like warblers lay more eggs and increase in numbers.
枯木开始腐斓 将其营养 传到地底 滋养了真菌
The dead trees start to rot passing their nutrients into the wood-wide-web, food for fungus.
树冠层打开了 更充足的阳光照射到森林地表
The canopy opens up and more light reaches the forest floor.
乳草一类的植物茂盛生长
Plants like milkweed flourish.
这对于归来的黑脉金斑蝶 吸收糖分和产卵至关重要
This is crucial to the returning monarch butterflies that stock up on sugar, and lay their eggs.
更多的空地也有助于 新的软木树的生长
The clearings also allow young softwood trees to grow.
软木树正是驼鹿的最爱
Moose's favourite food.