一只蜣螂走进酒吧 “这凳子有人坐吗”
Somewhere near you,
在距你不远处
an animal is defecating.
有个动物在排便
In fact, each day, the animal kingdom produces roughly enough dung
实际上 动物世界每天产生的粪便总量
to match the volume of water pouring over the Victoria Falls.
大约与维多利亚瀑布的水量相当
So why isn’t the planet covered in the stuff?
所以世界为什么没有被便便覆盖？
You can thank the humble dung beetle for eating up the excess.
你要感谢小小的蜣螂消耗了多余的粪便
Capable of burying 250 times their body weight in a single night,
这些昆虫勇士一晚可以掩埋相当于自重250倍的粪便
these valiant insects make quick work of an endless stream of feces.
它们快速工作 处理无穷无尽的粪便
Over 7,000 known species of dung beetle
已知的蜣螂有7000多种
run clean-up duty across six continents
它们在除南极洲以外的6大洲
—everywhere except Antarctica.
负责粪便清理工作
A dung beetle’s first task is to locate dung.
蜣螂的第一任务是找到粪便
Some live on the anal regions of larger animals,
有些蜣螂生活在大型动物的肛门处
ready to leap off when they defecate.
以便在动物排便时及时清理
Others sniff out feces that animals leave behind.
其他蜣螂靠嗅觉搜索粪便
A pile of elephant dung can attract 4,000 beetles in 15 minutes.
一堆大象粪便能在15分钟内吸引4000只屎壳郎
So once a beetle finds dung,
所以蜣螂一找到粪便
it must work quickly to secure some of the bounty for itself.
必须快速劳作 以占领地盘
Most dung beetle species fall into one of three main groups:
大多数蜣螂可以分成以下三个组群
rollers, tunnelers, and dwellers.
滚粪蜣螂 挖道蜣螂 居粪蜣螂
Dung rollers sculpt a ball of dung,
滚粪蜣螂把粪便滚成球状
and using their back legs,
然后用后腿滚动粪球
quickly roll it away from competitors.
迅速远离竞争者
Potential partners jump on the ball,
候选搭档们跳上粪球
and once the ball-maker has selected their mate,
一旦原主选定配偶
the pair dig their dung ball into the soil.
这对夫妇就把粪球埋进土里
Once it’s been buried,
粪球埋到地下以后
the female lays a single egg within the dung ball.
雌蜣螂会在粪球里产卵
Tunnelers have a different approach.
挖道蜣螂的做法不同
Digging underneath a pat,
他们先在地下挖条通道
some drag dung down into the soil
再把粪便拉进土里
and pack it into clumps
团成小堆
known as brood balls, dung balls, or dung “sausages,”
根据形状和大小 可以分为育幼球
depending on their shape and size.
粪球和粪便”香肠”
Male tunnelers sport a spectacular array of horns
雄挖道蜣螂有一排醒目的触角
to fight each other for control of these tunnels,
用来对抗其他蜣螂 争夺通道的控制权
which they then defend until the female’s laid her egg.
并守护它们 直到雌蜣螂完成产卵
Some male tunnelers avoid the fray
有些雄挖道蜣螂为了避免冲突
by masquerading as hornless females
会伪装成没有触角的雌性
and sneaking into tunnels to mate
在守卫者看不到的时候
while the guardians’ heads are turned.
潜进隧道偷偷交配
The third group of dung beetles, dwellers,
第三组是居粪蜣螂
take the most straightforward approach,
它们采用最直接的方法
laying their eggs directly into a dung pat.
把卵直接产在粪便里
This makes their offspring more vulnerable to predation
这使其后代与另外两种蜣螂的后代相比
than those of the tunnelers and rollers.
更容易遭到捕食
As the larvae feed,
幼虫进食时
they riddle the dung pat with tunnels,
有些粪便会冒出通道
leaving remains that are quickly colonized by bacteria and fungi
快速寄生大量细菌和真菌
and weathered away.
并分解粪便
Inside a tunnel, ball, or pat, once the larvae hatch,
幼虫在通道 粪球或粪便中孵化后
they consume the dung
会以粪便为食
before metamorphosing into a pupa
然后变成虫蛹
and then an adult beetle.
最终发育为成虫
Besides clearing dung,
除了清理粪便
the actions of these beetles have considerable ecological importance.
蜣螂的活动对生态也意义重大
For one, they serve as secondary seed dispersers.
首先 他们是种子的二次传播者
Dung from monkeys, wild pigs, and other animals
猴子 野猪和其他动物的粪便里
is riddled with seeds from the fruits they eat.
有它们吃过的水果的种子
When beetles bury their dung balls,
当蜣螂把粪球埋起来后
they inadvertently protect these seeds from predators
也无意间保护了种子 防止被其它动物吃掉
and increase the likelihood they’ll germinate.
增加了种子发芽的几率
The advantage is so great
蜣螂带来的好处很多
that one South African plant has evolved
南非有种植物 甚至进化出
to produce seeds that look and smell like dung
样子和气味与粪便相似的种子
to trick beetles into burying them.
欺骗蜣螂把种子埋起来
Dung beetles also play important roles in agricultural systems.
蜣螂在农业系统中也发挥着重要作用
Livestock, like cows and sheep,
牛羊一类的牲畜
produce huge amounts of dung,
产生的大量粪便
which contains nutrients that can benefit plants.
富含对植物有益的营养物质
The beetles break up the dung and tunnel it deep into the soil,
蜣螂分解粪便 把粪便埋进土里
bringing the nutrients into close contact with plant roots.
将营养物质带到植物根部
Their services to farmers have been valued
它们每年对农民的贡献价值
at $380 million a year in the US
在美国可达3.8亿美元
and £367 million a year in the UK.
在英国可达3.67亿英镑
Dung beetles can even help us battle global warming
蜣螂还能帮助人类对抗气候变暖
by reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with farming.
减少因务农而产生的温室气体排放
Microbes living in oxygen-poor livestock dung
生活在低含氧量牲畜粪便中的微生物
produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
会产生甲烷 一种主要的温室气体
But beetles oxygenate pats when they tunnel into them,
但蜣螂在挖道时 会带来氧气
preventing the microbes from producing methane.
使微生物无法产生甲烷
The dung beetle spreads seeds,
蜣螂能传播种子
helps farmers, and fights climate change
帮助农民 对抗气候变化
—and accomplishes it all simply by doing its business.
它通过清理粪便 就产生了这诸多好处
Maybe next time you come across some dung in the forest or a field,
可能下次你在森林里或田里看见它们
you’ll be tempted to take a closer look.
会忍不住想近距离观察一下
If you want to learn more about nature’s pooper scoopers,
如果你想了解更多自然界铲屎官的故事
we highly recommend Animal Weapons by Douglas J Emlyn.
我极力推荐Douglas J Emlyn的书《动物武器》
This book includes more wildly fascinating facts about dung beetles
书描写了许多有关蜣螂的精彩故事
and digs deep into the survival strategies of animals around the world.
并深入探讨了世界各地动物的生存策略
Read our ful recommendation and snag copy by visiting ED.TED.COM/BOOKS.
访问ED.TED.COM/BOOKS 阅读我们的完整建议并购书
Check out the comment section to learn more.
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