科学家模拟秋季变热的环境来研究蝴蝶

较难

高中三年级

说明文

现代科技

科研人员模拟更热更长的秋季环境来研究这种环境对蝴蝶的影响，他们发现在这样的环境下，这些蝴蝶的体重会降低很多，且更容易因消耗更多能量而死去。

A new study by researchers at Stockholm University, University of Oulu, and Greifswald University has investigated the potential impacts of climate change on butterflies. In laboratory experiments the researchers exposed the butterflies to simulated(模拟) autumn conditions of varying temperatures and lengths.

斯德哥尔摩大学、奥卢大学和格雷夫斯瓦尔德大学研究人员的一项新研究调查了气候变化对蝴蝶的潜在影响。在实验室实验中，研究人员将蝴蝶暴露在不同温度和长度的模拟秋季条件下。

The researchers found the butterflies exposed to warmer and longer autumn conditions lost more weight and used more energy than those exposed to milder conditions. Although the butterflies didn’t die immediately under the more elevated conditions, the researchers found that those butterflies that experienced them were less likely to survive to adulthood the following spring.

研究人员发现，暴露在更温暖和更长秋季条件下的蝴蝶比暴露在更温和条件下的蝴蝶失去了更多的体重和消耗更多的能量。尽管蝴蝶并没有在更高的条件下立即死亡，但研究人员发现，那些经历过它们的蝴蝶不太可能在第二年春天存活到成年。

Dr Matthew Nielsen at the University of Oulu, who conducted the research at Stockholm University, said: “Climate change is making autumns warmer and last longer, and it was this specific combination of conditions that had the greatest impact on the butterflies in our study. We show that stressful conditions experienced at one time of year can have lasting negative consequences at other times of year, linking changes in one season to consequences in others.”

奥卢大学的马修·尼尔森博士在斯德哥尔摩大学进行了这项研究，他说: “气候变化使秋天变暖，持续时间更长，在我们的研究中，正是这种特定的条件组合对蝴蝶产生了最大的影响。我们表明，在一年中的某个时间经历的压力条件可能在一年中的其他时间产生持久的负面后果，将一个季节的变化与其他季节的后果联系起来。”

In the study, the butterflies were exposed to temperatures as high as 25°C for up to 16 weeks. Although these simulated autumn conditions seem extreme, the authors say these temperatures already occur in southern parts of the butterflies’ range(活动范围) and could occur further north under future climate change.

在这项研究中，将蝴蝶暴露在高达25 °C的温度下长达16周。尽管这些模拟的秋季条件看起来很极端，作者说这些温度已经发生在蝴蝶山脉的南部，并且在未来的气候变化下可能会发生在更远的北部。