中英對照讀新聞》Nature crisis: ’Insect apocalypse’ more complicated than thought 自然危機：「昆蟲啟示錄」比想像中更複雜

研究發現，雖然陸棲昆蟲持續減少，但水中的昆蟲持續增加，情況超乎想像地複雜。圖為一隻蝗蟲停在樹枝上的示意圖。（法新社）

◎黃靖媗

Previous research indicated an alarming decline in numbers in all parts of world, with losses of up to 25% per decade. This new study, the largest carried out to date, says the picture is more complex and varied.

過去的研究指出，全球各地（的昆蟲）數量令人憂心地下降，每10年至少減少25％。這份迄今最大的新研究卻表明，情況其實更加複雜與多變。

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Land-dwelling insects are definitely declining the authors say, while bugs living in freshwater are increasing. The overall picture is complex - even in close geographical areas, some insects can be doing well next door to members of the same species who are struggling.

研究報告作者群指出，陸棲昆蟲正在減少，棲息於水中的蟲則在增加。總體情況是複雜的，即使是在相近的地理區域，有些昆蟲可以活得很好，隔壁區域的同種昆蟲，卻必須奮力存活。

Ann Swengel, one of the authors on the paper has spent more than 30 years studying butterflies in parts of the US. "We’ve seen so much decline, including on many protected sites. But we’ve also observed some sites where butterflies are continuing to do well," she said. "It takes lots of years and lots of data to understand both the failures and the successes, species by species and site by site."

論文作者之一安‧斯文格，已研究美國部分地區的蝴蝶超過30年。「我們已經看到（昆蟲）大量減少，包括在許多保護區裡。但我們也觀察到某些保護區中的蝴蝶持續活得很好」，她說。「要了解失敗與成功、不同物種、不同地點之間的關係，需要花費多年時間與大量資料」。

新聞辭典

alarming：形容詞，令人驚恐、令人擔憂。例句：We have received the alarming news.（我們已經收到那個令人擔憂的消息。）

definitely：副詞，肯定地、毫無疑問地。例句：Giving up the trip is definitely the best choice.（放棄這趟旅行毫無疑問地是最好的決定。）

overall：副詞，總體來說、全面地。例句：Because of the pandemic, the overall economic situation is not good.（由於大流行疫情，整體經濟狀況不太好。）

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