宏观世界（2017）

及其他繁殖作用
and others for reproduction
这种甲虫使用一种化学反应
this beetle uses a chemical reaction
来吸引它的爱人
to lure in its lovers
没有翅膀 身体有多个节段
lacking wings and with multiple body segments
这只雌性萤火虫或叫闪电虫
this female firefly or lightning bug
看起来更像蜈蚣而不是甲虫
looks more like a centipede than a beetle
但它很幸运
but luckily for her
吸引异性的不是它的外表
it's not her appearance that will attract a mate
在温暖的夏夜 当太阳落山
on warm summer evenings when the sun sets
萤火虫展示它们的化学引诱剂
fireflies show off their chemical attractant
萤火虫有一个特殊的发光器官
fireflies have a special light Oregon
位于腹部
located in the lower abdomen
它发光只有一个目的 性♥爱♥
the glow it emits has a single purpose sex
夜幕降临 雄性在空中蜂拥而至
as night falls the males swarm in the air
将天空点亮
and light it up
雌性在地上等候
waiting on the ground
以自己的性感光芒作为回应
the females respond with their own sexual glow
光是能量的释放 是复杂的
the light is energy released by a complicated
生化反应
biochemical reaction
但是这些能量并没有以热量的形式消散
but instead of dispelling most of this energy as heat
萤火虫将其中的95%能量转化为光
the fireflies turn 95 percent of it into light
这也确保了它们不会被灼伤
this also ensures they don't get burned
白天 雄性显得很小
by day the male reveals itself to be small
并不出众
and rather unimpressive
尽管与雌性不同
although unlike the female
但它至少看起来更像只甲虫
he at least looks more like a beetle
在它们短暂仅有几天的成年期中
during their brief adult life of only a few days
萤火虫不吃东西
fireflies never eat
它们忙于生育
they're too busy procreating
雄性六条腿间是精♥液♥的容器
the male isn't much more than a vessel of seaman
雌性则有一个装满卵的管子
on 6 legs the female a tube filled with eggs
交♥配♥发生在地面上
mating takes place on the ground
一旦完成
once it's finished
这对伴侣就永远分开了
the partners separate for good
雄性完成了它唯一的人生目标
the male has fulfilled his only goal in life
约10天后就会死亡
and will die in about 10 days
雌性永远地关掉了它的灯
the female turns off her light forever
然后去找一个地方产卵
and goes looking for a place to lay her eggs
一旦任务完成
once that task is complete
它也会死
she too will die
几周后
a few weeks later
幼虫将从卵中孵化出来
larvae will emerge from the eggs
但需要3年时间才能达到成熟期
but it will take 3 years for them to reach maturity
并加入
and join
照亮夏夜的神奇灯光表演
the magical light show that illuminates summer nights
甲虫的繁殖行为
Beatles reproductive behaviors are as
就像它们的饮食一样多样复杂
varied and complex as their diets
它们如此成功的另一个原因
another reason they're so successful
1亿4千万年前
140,000,000 years ago
第一批开花植物的出现
the emergence of the first flowering plants
为陆地生物提供了全新的食物来源
offered creatures on land brand new food sources
它引发了甲虫新物种的激增
it triggered an explosion in new beetle species
甲虫对花蜜和花粉产生了兴趣
as beetles developed a taste for nectar and pollen
并给植物传粉
they also pollinated the plants
在它们的进化过程中起着至关重要的作用
playing a crucial role in their evolution
吃草的动物 如绵羊和山羊
grazing animals like sheep and goats
实际上是吃掉接近地面的植被
actually open up vegetation close to the ground
让野花生长
allowing wildflowers to grow
这只甲虫跟在食草动物的后面
this door beetle follows grazing herbivores around
但它对花蜜或花粉不感兴趣
but it isn't interested in nectar or pollen
它也不捕食其它昆虫
and it also doesn't prey on other insects
它只对一件事感兴趣
it's interested in just one thing
粪便
poop
对于屎壳郎来说 没有什么比
there's nothing like the smell of fresh
新鲜粪便的味道更好的了
dung to a door beetle
多亏了它敏锐的嗅觉
and thanks to its keen sense of smell
屎壳郎在几分钟内就能找到新鲜的粪便
door beetles find fresh dung within minutes
粪便越新鲜
the fresher the dung
来参加盛宴的屎壳郎就越多
the more beetles will come to the feast
全世界
there are about
大约有7000种屎壳郎
7000 species of dung beetle around the world
对它们来说 粪便是一种营养丰富的食物来源
to them manure is a nutrient rich food source
为它们自己 也为它们的后代
for themselves as well as their offspring
但是把后代扔在粪堆里
but putting your offspring in a heap of dung
和其它甲虫一起
with many other beetles
这意味着它们将面临激烈的竞争
means they'll have a lot of competition
一些屎壳郎已经解决了这个问题
some dung beetle species have solved this problem
以一种非常奇特的方式
in a very peculiar way
屎壳郎天生拥有强大
the sisyphus dung beetle has short
有力的前腿
powerful front legs
这个腿
that function
就像一把切粪的刀
like a pair of carving knives to divide the manure
但是它的后腿
its hind legs however
已经适应了完全不同的任务
have adapted to a completely different task
它用它们把粪球从后面推走
it uses them to roll a ball of manure away backwards
以它的体积
immensely powerful for its size
屎壳郎可以推动以自身重量
the sisyphus dung beetle can maneuver dung balls up to
10倍的粪球
10 times its own weight
越过崎岖险峻的地形
over rough and steep terrain
它推拉货物近九米远到它的洞穴
it pushes and pulls its cargo almost 9m to its borough
对于一个大约1厘米长的生物来说 这是史诗般的距离
an epic distance for a creature about 1cm long
即使它进入了一个似乎是死胡同的地方
even when it runs into what seems to be a dead end
它也不会放弃
it doesn't give up
这就是它的拉丁名字 西西弗斯的由来
that's how its earned its Latin name sisyphus
以希腊英雄的名字命名
after the Greek hero who was
完成一项不可能的任务
charged with the impossible task
把一块巨石推到山上
of pushing an immense boulder up a hill
只能看着它反复地滚下来
only to watch it repeatedly roll back down
但在这种情况下 援助来得正是时候
but in this case help arrives just in time
屎壳郎夫妇合作
mating pairs of sisyphus beetles cooperate
把每天收集的粪带回家
to bring home the daily done
在大面♥积♥和地下撒粪
spreading dung over large areas and underground
提供了另一项至关重要的服务
provides another crucial service
给土壤施肥
fertilizing the soil
没有屎壳郎这种甲虫
without dung eating beetles
这片土地最终会因过多的动物粪便窒息而死
the land would eventually suffocate under animal waste
终于回家了
home at last
西西弗斯屎壳郎把珍贵的粪便
the sisyphus dung beetles stores the precious
储存在地下储藏室
dung in its underground pantry
确保下一代
ensuring that the next generation
长大的幼虫
of beetles will grow up
营养充足
well nourished
许多甲虫种类对生态系统
many beetle species perform
起着至关重要的作用
essential tasks to the ecosystem
虽然屎壳郎看起来像
and while the sicifice beetle seems like it's taken
把废物利用发挥到了极致
waste treatment to the extreme
可能还有更极端的情况
there may be an even more extreme case
欧洲森林中的一种甲虫
one beetle species in European forests
执行同样重要的任务
performs a task just as essential
虽然要可怕得多
though far more grizzly
粪便只是动物遗骸的一种
dung is only one kind of animal remains
这需要在自然界中分解
that needs to be dealt with in nature
一只黄颈老鼠的尸体躺在森林的地面上
a dead yellow necked mouse lies on the forest floor
对许多潜在的食腐动物来说 这是一顿轻松的大餐
an easy meal for many potential scavengers
这是一场苍蝇 狐狸 獾
it's a race between flies
和其它生物
foxes Badgers
之间的比赛
and something else
一场毛骨悚然的奇观开始了
a spooky spectacle begins
仿佛被施了魔法
as if by magic
死老鼠开始移♥动♥
the dead mouse begins to move