打敗人類的五大入侵物種

Invasive species are entirely a human-made phenomenon. As we developed the ability to transport ourselves around the world， we started carrying plants and animals along with us. Organisms from one part of the world were dropped in entirely new ecosystems with a lack of competitors or predators and they took advantage of the situation by breeding and eating their way through their new homes. Some of them have pushed out native species and， in some cases， have caused ecological damage on the local ecosystem. Here are five species that we humans just can't seem to beat.

入侵物種這一現象完全是由人類一手造成的。隨著我們具備了把自己運往世界各地的能力，我們也開始攜帶各種動植物出行。來自世界某個地方的生物被丟到了全新的生態系統里，由于那里沒有它們的競爭物種或是天敵，它們就充分利用這個條件，在新家里使勁繁殖，敞開了吃。它們中的一些已經把本地物種擠出局了，而且在某些情況下已經給當地的生態系統造成了生態破壞。下面是我們人類好像怎么都無法打敗的五個物種。

Kudzu1） 野葛

The kudzu vine2） is a native of Japan and China， where it enjoys a life of ecological balance， hemmed in3） by the other plant and animal species that it evolved alongside. It plays its biological part， fixing4） nitrogen out of the air and into the soil and helping to redistribute and spread nutrients and energy. The kudzu story would end there if it had stayed within its home range. Instead， the vine has taken on an almost mythological aura5） as it has spread and smothered6） a vast range of land in the southern United States， Canada， Australia and New Zealand. The fast-growing vine， in the absence of natural predators， blazes across forests， climbing and reaching for every bit of available sunlight and its advance has yet to be stopped in any meaningful way. There are efforts underway to develop specialized herbicides7） to combat kudzu and some people are working on tasty ways to eat it， but for now， the vine marches on.

The Burmese pythons evolved in the warm tropical waters of Southern and Southeast Asia， so it shouldn't be too surprising that they feel at home in the Everglades9）. The large predator is a popular choice for pet snake enthusiasts and was slowly introduced to Florida by well-meaning10） but irresponsible owners who let them go free when they were no longer wanted around the house. These released snakes slid into the Everglades and ripped through11） the natural web of Florida life. Populations of small mammals there have dropped across the board12）. Some species have seen drops as high as 95 to 100 percent.

There are tens， and possibly hundreds of thousands of Burmese pythons living in dark， scary， swampy13） water of the Everglades. Who's ready to wade14） in there and start taking them out？ Anyone？ It's hard to see how this story has a happy ending for anyone but the Burmese pythons.

When you think about rabbits， it's likely that your mind springs to an image of a cute little fluffy bunny hopping through the forest and occasionally giving young children chocolates and jelly beans15）. Or maybe you think about a tasty roasted dish of rabbit. Or maybe both.

But how about the image of rabbits as hungry invaders， advancing in never-ending waves of colonization？ Rabbits， for as far as you can see， covering the proverbial16） horizon with their adorable little noses and their huge litters17） of fast-growing kits18）. Eating through everything. Eating， and having babies.

That's the story of the rabbits in Australia. They were introduced back in the late 1700s as a source of food. Enough rabbits escaped captivity19） to gain a foothold20） that they haven't let go of since. People have tried to stop the rabbits using fences， hunters and poisoning but have not been able to do anything more than make small localized impacts that quickly get swallowed up by the rabbits' exponential21） growth.

野葛藤原產于日本和中國，它們在那里受到了與其一起進化的其他動植物物種的約束和限制，一直享受著生態平衡的生活。野葛藤發揮著自己的生物作用：它能把大氣中的氮固定到土壤中，并有助于重新分配和擴散營養物質和能量。倘若野葛當年只待在原產地，它的故事也就到此為止了。然而，這種葛藤已經蔓延并覆蓋了美國南部、加拿大、澳大利亞和新西蘭的大片土地，開始擁有了一種近乎神話般的色彩。由于缺少天敵，這種生長迅速的葛藤席卷了成片成片的森林，四處攀爬，一丁點兒陽光也不放過，而且至今（編注：英文原文發表于2013年11月）尚無任何有效的方法可以阻擋其前進的步伐。人們正努力研發專門對付野葛的滅草劑，還有一些人在研究野葛要怎么做才好吃，但在目前野葛藤依然所向披靡。

緬甸蟒蛇是在南亞和東南亞溫暖的熱帶水域里進化出來的，所以它們能在佛羅里達大沼澤地活得很滋潤就不足為奇了。對寵物蛇愛好者來說，這種大型的捕食動物是頗受歡迎的選擇。緬甸蟒蛇當年是被許多好心但卻不負責任的主人慢慢引進到佛羅里達州的，這些人不想繼續養它們時就將其放生了。這些被放生的蟒蛇溜進了佛羅里達大沼澤地，打破了佛羅里達州的自然生態網。佛羅里達州小型哺乳動物的數量全都下降了，有些物種的數量減幅高達95%～100%。

現在，在佛羅里達大沼澤地那黑暗、恐怖、遍布沼澤的水中，生活著成百也可能是成千上萬條緬甸蟒蛇。有誰準備好走進那片沼澤并開始清理這些蟒蛇嗎？有人嗎？很難看出，對除了緬甸蟒蛇之外的任何一方來說，這個入侵故事會有一個皆大歡喜的結局。

當你想到野兔時，你的腦海里可能會跳出一幅畫面：一只毛茸茸的可愛小兔子一蹦一跳地穿過森林，偶爾還給小孩子們發點兒巧克力和軟心糖豆。或者，你可能會想到一道美味的烤野兔大餐。又或者這兩個你都想到了。

但你想到過野兔作為饑腸轆轆的入侵者，一波又一波永無休止地開拓領地的畫面嗎？目光所及之處都是野兔那可愛的小鼻子和一大窩又一大窩生長迅速的小兔子，遇到什么就吃什么，除了吃就是生兔寶寶。

這就是野兔入侵澳大利亞的故事。18世紀后期，野兔作為一種食物來源被引進了澳大利亞。足夠多的野兔逃離了圈養場所，贏得了立足之地，之后就再沒撒開過手。人們曾試圖筑籬笆阻隔、派獵人獵殺、下毒藥來阻擋野兔，但沒起到什么作用，頂多也就在當地產生了一些小的影響，而且這些影響很快就被野兔的迅猛增長抵消了。

Burmese Pythons8） 緬甸蟒蛇

The kudzu vine2） is a native of Japan and China， where it enjoys a life of ecological balance， hemmed in3） by the other plant and animal species that it evolved alongside. It plays its biological part， fixing4） nitrogen out of the air and into the soil and helping to redistribute and spread nutrients and energy. The kudzu story would end there if it had stayed within its home range. Instead， the vine has taken on an almost mythological aura5） as it has spread and smothered6） a vast range of land in the southern United States， Canada， Australia and New Zealand. The fast-growing vine， in the absence of natural predators， blazes across forests， climbing and reaching for every bit of available sunlight and its advance has yet to be stopped in any meaningful way. There are efforts underway to develop specialized herbicides7） to combat kudzu and some people are working on tasty ways to eat it， but for now， the vine marches on.

The Burmese pythons evolved in the warm tropical waters of Southern and Southeast Asia， so it shouldn't be too surprising that they feel at home in the Everglades9）. The large predator is a popular choice for pet snake enthusiasts and was slowly introduced to Florida by well-meaning10） but irresponsible owners who let them go free when they were no longer wanted around the house. These released snakes slid into the Everglades and ripped through11） the natural web of Florida life. Populations of small mammals there have dropped across the board12）. Some species have seen drops as high as 95 to 100 percent.

There are tens， and possibly hundreds of thousands of Burmese pythons living in dark， scary， swampy13） water of the Everglades. Who's ready to wade14） in there and start taking them out？ Anyone？ It's hard to see how this story has a happy ending for anyone but the Burmese pythons.

When you think about rabbits， it's likely that your mind springs to an image of a cute little fluffy bunny hopping through the forest and occasionally giving young children chocolates and jelly beans15）. Or maybe you think about a tasty roasted dish of rabbit. Or maybe both.

But how about the image of rabbits as hungry invaders， advancing in never-ending waves of colonization？ Rabbits， for as far as you can see， covering the proverbial16） horizon with their adorable little noses and their huge litters17） of fast-growing kits18）. Eating through everything. Eating， and having babies.

That's the story of the rabbits in Australia. They were introduced back in the late 1700s as a source of food. Enough rabbits escaped captivity19） to gain a foothold20） that they haven't let go of since. People have tried to stop the rabbits using fences， hunters and poisoning but have not been able to do anything more than make small localized impacts that quickly get swallowed up by the rabbits' exponential21） growth.

野葛藤原產于日本和中國，它們在那里受到了與其一起進化的其他動植物物種的約束和限制，一直享受著生態平衡的生活。野葛藤發揮著自己的生物作用：它能把大氣中的氮固定到土壤中，并有助于重新分配和擴散營養物質和能量。倘若野葛當年只待在原產地，它的故事也就到此為止了。然而，這種葛藤已經蔓延并覆蓋了美國南部、加拿大、澳大利亞和新西蘭的大片土地，開始擁有了一種近乎神話般的色彩。由于缺少天敵，這種生長迅速的葛藤席卷了成片成片的森林，四處攀爬，一丁點兒陽光也不放過，而且至今（編注：英文原文發表于2013年11月）尚無任何有效的方法可以阻擋其前進的步伐。人們正努力研發專門對付野葛的滅草劑，還有一些人在研究野葛要怎么做才好吃，但在目前野葛藤依然所向披靡。

緬甸蟒蛇是在南亞和東南亞溫暖的熱帶水域里進化出來的，所以它們能在佛羅里達大沼澤地活得很滋潤就不足為奇了。對寵物蛇愛好者來說，這種大型的捕食動物是頗受歡迎的選擇。緬甸蟒蛇當年是被許多好心但卻不負責任的主人慢慢引進到佛羅里達州的，這些人不想繼續養它們時就將其放生了。這些被放生的蟒蛇溜進了佛羅里達大沼澤地，打破了佛羅里達州的自然生態網。佛羅里達州小型哺乳動物的數量全都下降了，有些物種的數量減幅高達95%～100%。

現在，在佛羅里達大沼澤地那黑暗、恐怖、遍布沼澤的水中，生活著成百也可能是成千上萬條緬甸蟒蛇。有誰準備好走進那片沼澤并開始清理這些蟒蛇嗎？有人嗎？很難看出，對除了緬甸蟒蛇之外的任何一方來說，這個入侵故事會有一個皆大歡喜的結局。

當你想到野兔時，你的腦海里可能會跳出一幅畫面：一只毛茸茸的可愛小兔子一蹦一跳地穿過森林，偶爾還給小孩子們發點兒巧克力和軟心糖豆。或者，你可能會想到一道美味的烤野兔大餐。又或者這兩個你都想到了。

但你想到過野兔作為饑腸轆轆的入侵者，一波又一波永無休止地開拓領地的畫面嗎？目光所及之處都是野兔那可愛的小鼻子和一大窩又一大窩生長迅速的小兔子，遇到什么就吃什么，除了吃就是生兔寶寶。

這就是野兔入侵澳大利亞的故事。18世紀后期，野兔作為一種食物來源被引進了澳大利亞。足夠多的野兔逃離了圈養場所，贏得了立足之地，之后就再沒撒開過手。人們曾試圖筑籬笆阻隔、派獵人獵殺、下毒藥來阻擋野兔，但沒起到什么作用，頂多也就在當地產生了一些小的影響，而且這些影響很快就被野兔的迅猛增長抵消了。

Rabbits 野兔

The kudzu vine2） is a native of Japan and China， where it enjoys a life of ecological balance， hemmed in3） by the other plant and animal species that it evolved alongside. It plays its biological part， fixing4） nitrogen out of the air and into the soil and helping to redistribute and spread nutrients and energy. The kudzu story would end there if it had stayed within its home range. Instead， the vine has taken on an almost mythological aura5） as it has spread and smothered6） a vast range of land in the southern United States， Canada， Australia and New Zealand. The fast-growing vine， in the absence of natural predators， blazes across forests， climbing and reaching for every bit of available sunlight and its advance has yet to be stopped in any meaningful way. There are efforts underway to develop specialized herbicides7） to combat kudzu and some people are working on tasty ways to eat it， but for now， the vine marches on.

The Burmese pythons evolved in the warm tropical waters of Southern and Southeast Asia， so it shouldn't be too surprising that they feel at home in the Everglades9）. The large predator is a popular choice for pet snake enthusiasts and was slowly introduced to Florida by well-meaning10） but irresponsible owners who let them go free when they were no longer wanted around the house. These released snakes slid into the Everglades and ripped through11） the natural web of Florida life. Populations of small mammals there have dropped across the board12）. Some species have seen drops as high as 95 to 100 percent.

There are tens， and possibly hundreds of thousands of Burmese pythons living in dark， scary， swampy13） water of the Everglades. Who's ready to wade14） in there and start taking them out？ Anyone？ It's hard to see how this story has a happy ending for anyone but the Burmese pythons.

When you think about rabbits， it's likely that your mind springs to an image of a cute little fluffy bunny hopping through the forest and occasionally giving young children chocolates and jelly beans15）. Or maybe you think about a tasty roasted dish of rabbit. Or maybe both.

But how about the image of rabbits as hungry invaders， advancing in never-ending waves of colonization？ Rabbits， for as far as you can see， covering the proverbial16） horizon with their adorable little noses and their huge litters17） of fast-growing kits18）. Eating through everything. Eating， and having babies.

That's the story of the rabbits in Australia. They were introduced back in the late 1700s as a source of food. Enough rabbits escaped captivity19） to gain a foothold20） that they haven't let go of since. People have tried to stop the rabbits using fences， hunters and poisoning but have not been able to do anything more than make small localized impacts that quickly get swallowed up by the rabbits' exponential21） growth.

野葛藤原產于日本和中國，它們在那里受到了與其一起進化的其他動植物物種的約束和限制，一直享受著生態平衡的生活。野葛藤發揮著自己的生物作用：它能把大氣中的氮固定到土壤中，并有助于重新分配和擴散營養物質和能量。倘若野葛當年只待在原產地，它的故事也就到此為止了。然而，這種葛藤已經蔓延并覆蓋了美國南部、加拿大、澳大利亞和新西蘭的大片土地，開始擁有了一種近乎神話般的色彩。由于缺少天敵，這種生長迅速的葛藤席卷了成片成片的森林，四處攀爬，一丁點兒陽光也不放過，而且至今（編注：英文原文發表于2013年11月）尚無任何有效的方法可以阻擋其前進的步伐。人們正努力研發專門對付野葛的滅草劑，還有一些人在研究野葛要怎么做才好吃，但在目前野葛藤依然所向披靡。

緬甸蟒蛇是在南亞和東南亞溫暖的熱帶水域里進化出來的，所以它們能在佛羅里達大沼澤地活得很滋潤就不足為奇了。對寵物蛇愛好者來說，這種大型的捕食動物是頗受歡迎的選擇。緬甸蟒蛇當年是被許多好心但卻不負責任的主人慢慢引進到佛羅里達州的，這些人不想繼續養它們時就將其放生了。這些被放生的蟒蛇溜進了佛羅里達大沼澤地，打破了佛羅里達州的自然生態網。佛羅里達州小型哺乳動物的數量全都下降了，有些物種的數量減幅高達95%～100%。

現在，在佛羅里達大沼澤地那黑暗、恐怖、遍布沼澤的水中，生活著成百也可能是成千上萬條緬甸蟒蛇。有誰準備好走進那片沼澤并開始清理這些蟒蛇嗎？有人嗎？很難看出，對除了緬甸蟒蛇之外的任何一方來說，這個入侵故事會有一個皆大歡喜的結局。

當你想到野兔時，你的腦海里可能會跳出一幅畫面：一只毛茸茸的可愛小兔子一蹦一跳地穿過森林，偶爾還給小孩子們發點兒巧克力和軟心糖豆。或者，你可能會想到一道美味的烤野兔大餐。又或者這兩個你都想到了。

但你想到過野兔作為饑腸轆轆的入侵者，一波又一波永無休止地開拓領地的畫面嗎？目光所及之處都是野兔那可愛的小鼻子和一大窩又一大窩生長迅速的小兔子，遇到什么就吃什么，除了吃就是生兔寶寶。

這就是野兔入侵澳大利亞的故事。18世紀后期，野兔作為一種食物來源被引進了澳大利亞。足夠多的野兔逃離了圈養場所，贏得了立足之地，之后就再沒撒開過手。人們曾試圖筑籬笆阻隔、派獵人獵殺、下毒藥來阻擋野兔，但沒起到什么作用，頂多也就在當地產生了一些小的影響，而且這些影響很快就被野兔的迅猛增長抵消了。

Quagga Mussels22） 條紋貽貝

Quagga mussels are native to waters of the Ukraine's Dnieper River， which dumps into the Black Sea. Over the years they have been picked up and transported part of the way around the world by large cargo ships running between the Black Sea and the Great Lakes， where they have spread to smothering proportions. There are enormous sections of the Lakes bottoms that have been given over entirely to nothing but quagga mussels.

The quagga mussels muscle out23） native species in a number of ways. Most obvious is their tendency to cover every available inch of habitat， leaving no space for native species to eat， sleep， reproduce and die. Secondly， they are filter feeders and strip the waters of phytoplankton24）， depriving any other species of a very important food source. Their filter feeding also results in abnormally clear waters that are favored by aquatic25） plants whose spread further impacts and disrupts ecosystems.

By now the quagga mussel has jumped beyond the Great Lakes and is becoming a threat to lakes and reservoirs26） all over the United States. They're winning.

條紋貽貝原產于烏克蘭注入黑海的第聶伯河水域。多年來，這些條紋貽貝吸附在往返于黑海和五大湖區的大型貨船上，走過大半個世界，把五大湖區覆蓋得密不透風。五大湖區的湖底有大片大片的區域已經完全被條紋貽貝占領，沒有其他任何生物的容身之地。

條紋貽貝用許多方法將本地物種趕走。最明顯的方法就是它們喜歡占領每一寸可以棲息的地方，不給本地物種留下任何進食、睡覺、繁殖和死亡的空間。其次就是它們是濾食性動物，能把水中的浮游藻類吃得一干二凈，進而剝奪了其他任何物種的一種非常重要的食物來源。這種過濾性進食還會使水變得異常清澈，而如此清澈的水正是水生植物的最愛，致使水生植物四處擴散，進一步影響和擾亂了生態系統。

到目前為止，條紋貽貝已經不限于五大湖區，正在對美國各地的湖泊和水庫構成威脅。看來，它們勢在必得。

Asian Carp27） 亞洲鯉魚

Asian carp is a term that is used to collectively refer to a number of invasive species of carp that are now dominating many lakes， streams and rivers in the United States. As their name implies， the different carp species are all native to Asia. They have been used in aquaculture28） for more than a thousand years and were originally imported to the United States to help clean wastewater generated by farmed29） catfish30）. Seasonal floods allowed enough of the carp to escape their containment ponds and they quickly spread along waterways， eating their way through local ecosystems. They have now been found in all but one of the Great Lakes as well as the Mississippi River and countless smaller rivers and streams.

Besides the direct impact they have on local ecosystems， many of the species that fall under the term \"Asian carp\" are extremely skittish31） fish. Any loud or sudden noise can frighten them into swimming and jumping out of the water. There are a lot of videos on YouTube of boaters being hammered by huge schools32） of leaping carp. On the one hand， it's an effortless way to catch a fish for dinner， but on the other hand it's a brave soul who can stand up to a bombardment33） of fish that can weigh up to 100 pounds each and come at you from any direction at a high rate of speed.

亞洲鯉魚是一個統稱，指許多種鯉魚入侵物種，這些物種目前正主宰著美國的許多湖泊、溪流和河流。顧名思義，這些不同的鯉魚物種都產自亞洲。鯉魚被用于水產養殖業已有一千多年的歷史，最初被引進美國是為了幫助清理養殖鯰魚產生的廢水。季節性的洪水導致足夠多的鯉魚逃離了圈養池，它們沿著水路迅速擴散開來，在當地的生態系統里吃了個遍。目前，在五大湖區（其中有一個湖除外）、密西西比河以及無數較小的河流和溪流中都能發現亞洲鯉魚的身影。

除了對當地生態系統產生直接影響外，許多屬于“亞洲鯉魚”這一范疇的物種都是極其容易受驚的魚類。任何聲響或突發的噪聲都能嚇得這些魚游動起來，躍出水面。YouTube網站上就有大量視頻顯示大群從水中躍起的鯉魚砸中乘船的人。一方面，這能讓人不費吹灰之力就抓到魚吃，但另一方面，這種魚每條可重達100磅，從四面八方快速向你飛來，只有勇氣可嘉的人才能經受得住這種轟炸。