加拉帕戈斯群岛（2006）（3）

【 加拉帕戈斯群岛 】
在遥远的东太平洋海面上
Far out in the eastern Pacific is a scattering of islands ruled
分布着零星的岛屿，它们被狂暴的自然力量所主宰
by the brutal forces of nature
一块烈火肆虐的土地
a land ravaged by fire
任由海洋生杀予夺
At the mercy of an ocean that can nourish but also cripple
一个充满对抗和厮杀的世界
a world in turmoil
这个故事将要讲述加拉帕戈斯的生命群体
This is the story of how life in Galapagos is shaped by the relentless forces of change
是怎样在过去、现在和未来的力量下不断发生变化
Past, present and future
『 力 量 的 变 革 』
加拉帕戈斯位于距离南美洲600英里的海面上
Galapagos lie 600 miles off the coast of south America
正处在赤道地带
right on the equator
他是世界上火山最活跃的群岛之一
It’s one of the most volcanically active groups of islands in the world
在其西面的边缘地带
And on its western edge towers the most imposing,
有一座巨型火山
most hostile of them all
称为“费尔南迪纳”
a colossus called Fernandina
在过去的两百年里，这座火山至少喷发过24次
In the last 200 years this volcano has erupted at least 24 times
火山口高达海拔1英里
Its caldera towers a mile above sea level
但是，有一种动物必须爬到顶部
but there’s one animal that has no option but to scale its summit
陆鬣蜥
the land iguana
怀孕的雌鬣蜥需要找
Every pregnant female needs to find
有火山灰的地方产卵
a patch of volcanic ash in which to lay her eggs
但合适的产卵地很少，即使有也在很远
But suitable sites are few and far between
最合适的产卵地是被火山烟孔熏热的地方，就在这座巨岛的边缘
and the best, warmed by fumaroles lie right on the rim of this giant
爬上去的过程是一个非常严酷的考验 有时可能需要花费数星期的时间
Climbing there is a punishing ordeal which can take weeks
这只雌鬣蜥来的不是时候
This female has not timed her journey well
所有的好地方都已经有了主人
All the good sites have been taken,
它除了去争去抢别无他法
so she has no choice but to challenge those in residence
凶狠的架势有时能吓倒对手而取得胜利
Aggressive body language can sometimes force a victory
但是，这个主人不愿意轻易放弃自己的地盘
but the rightful owner won’t relinquish her ground easily
一巢二主已是不可能
so it’s all or nothing
一场雌性动物之间的残酷搏斗
A ruthless catfight
这只怀孕的雌鬣蜥被赶了出去
The pregnant female is sent packing
它的地盘被竞争者夺取
evicted from the prime nesting grounds by her rival
现在只能去寻找别的产卵地
She’s now forced to look elsewhere
但费尔南迪纳剩下的唯一合适产卵地
But the only other suitable sites on Fernandina lie deep within this giant caldera
在火山口底部半英里深的地方
half a mile down
而它不得不胆战心惊地往下爬
She must make a terrifying decent
最小的失误也可致命
The smallest slip could be fatal
无数条摔下来的雌鬣蜥都葬身于此
Countless iguanas have been buried by landslides
这只雌鬣蜥算是幸运脱险了
But this female has a lucky escape
对于任何动物，要在加拉帕戈斯找到立足点都是困难的
For any animal, finding a foothold on Galapagos is tough work
这座巨岛是火山热点的产物
This cluster of islands are the product of a volcanic hotspot
从数百、甚至数千英里的下面
where scorching rock rises from hundreds,
冲破地壳才到达地表
possibly thousands of miles beneath to punch at the earth’s crust
加拉帕戈斯如今共有6座非常活跃的火山
There’re 6 highly active volcanos in Galapagos today
每隔数年爆发一次，有时，一次爆发会持续数月
One erupts every few years. Sometimes for months at a time
火山作用是最能促使加拉帕戈斯发生巨变的力量
Volcanism is the fundamental force in Galapagos
能在几万年内就创造出数座岛屿
It can build an island in just tens of thousands of years
也能在顷刻间把一切生命吞噬掉
And it can wipe out life in an instant
像这样的灾难发生后，动物和植物只能重新寻找合适的土地
After such catastrophic events, animals and plants are forced to find new ground
这块新形成的熔岩地表面状如筋腱，犹如火星毫无生机
The fresh sinewy lava fields seem as lifeless as Mars
但熔岩仙人掌是生命的先锋
But the lava cactus is a tough pioneer
它是第一批侵入这块炙热领地的植物
It’s one of the first plants to invade this baking hot terrain
其肉质茎能很好地储存水分
storing moisture in its succulent stems
熔岩和海水交汇的地方总有扎根在岩石上的红树林身影
And where the lava reaches the coastline, mangroves anchor themselves to the rocks
有四种红树属植物在这片加拉帕戈斯海岸扎了根
Four species have managed to colonize the brittle shores of Galapagos
红树林的种子耐咸，是被海浪冲到这里来的
Their salt-tolerant seeds brought here on the ocean currents
它们能扎在海湾又能扎在陆地，根部堆积了密密麻麻的淤泥
Settling in bays and inlets the roots accumulate all sorts of silty debris
是海岸线上的生命栖息地
helping to offer life a purchase on the shoreline
红树林能为鱼类提供重要的食物来源
Mangrove forests are crucial nursery grounds for fish
随海浪飘来的浮游生物为它提供营养
fed by plankton and nutrients flowing in and out with the tides
密密麻麻的植被可遮挡赤道烈日的照射
The tangle of vegetation also provides welcome shade from the equatorial sun
然而在这种环境即使红树也生长艰难
But even mangroves struggle to settle on the newest and most exposed lava shorelines
不过，有一种动物
There is, however, one animal
它已学会了怎样利用这里恶劣的环境
that has learnt how to benefit from this harsh, volcanic terrain
加拉帕戈斯海狗
The Galapagos fur seal
它们的祖先很久以前就从南极洲迁徙到这里
Its ancestors arrived here long ago from the sub Antarctic
为了躲避正午时的炎热，海狗经常躲到一个幽凉的地方
To escape the midday heat, they’ve discovered cold hideouts
熔岩石洞，由密密麻麻的管状碎熔岩构筑而成
Lava grottoes formed by networks of broken lava tubes
迷宫般的洞穴和隧♥道♥为海狗提供绝妙的保护
The labyrinth of caves and tunnels provide perfect shelter for fur seals
它们是同类中最小
the smallest of their kind in the world
体积是他们的亲戚海豹的三分之一，海豹也会到熔岩石洞来
They’re a third the size of their sea lion cousins which also visit these grottoes
海狗长有后毛皮
Fur seals have naturally thick pelts
毛皮由很好的隔热作用，毛皮中的空气也起了部分作用
which provide good insulation helped by air trapped among the fur
它们眼睛特别发达，能在暗处觅食
Big bulging eyes allow them to hunt in the dark
犯不着跟海狮白天争食
a strategy that avoids direct competition with sea lions
海狗通常在陆地上求偶
Though fur seals normally court on land
但有时也在水中互相嬉戏，就在波涛之下
adolescents will sometimes test the water with one another beneath the waves
在加拉帕戈斯，地质力量
Geological force in Galapagos
创造了千姿百态、大小各异的岛群
has created a cluster of islands of all shapes and sizes
一些是火山灰堆积形成的石柱
Some are pillars of compacted ash
另一些是岩浆喷发后产生的
Others forged from explosions of lava
一百多座大小岛屿犹如喷洒在洋面的点缀
More than 100 islands, islets and rocky outcrops sprinkle the ocean
其中最独特的岛位于遥远的加拉帕戈斯西北边缘
The most unusual lies in the far northwestern reaches of the archipelago
“圆岩”
Roca Redonda
这块从海面上凸起的巨石顶部平坦，高一千英尺
This giant slab of an unscalable rock, stands a thousand feet tall
如同一根擎天大柱，有无数的海鸟在此筑巢
and is a precious outpost for nesting seabirds
燕尾鸥体态优美，是最珍惜的鸟类之一
Swallow-tailed gulls are among the rarest and most exquisite
也是世界上唯一在夜间活动的鸥鸟
They are the only nocturnal gulls in the world
它们晚上在水面上捕食小鱼和鱿鱼
and they forage at night for small fish and squid in the surface waters
特别发达的眼睛发挥了作用
aided by their unusually large eyes
这座岛屿生机盎然
This island teems with life
它的四周是富饶的大海，隐藏着一个不为人知的秘密
And the productive seas that envelop it hide a secret to its wealth
圆岩实际上比我们所看到的要复杂得多
There’s far more to Roca Redonda than meets the eye
这座岛实际上是一座巨大的海底火山的顶端
This island is actually the tip of a giant undersea volcano
其高约2英里，宽达12英里
nearly 2 miles tall and 12 miles wide
深海测量学
Bathymetric studies,
一种通过声纳探测海洋深度的技术
examining the depths of the ocean using sonar tracks
使我们对这个群岛观察提升到全新的层面
give the archipelago a whole new dimension
加拉帕戈斯是海底火山链
Galapagos is a chain of submarine volcanos
中心处在海底一个广阔的平台上
but have coalesced into a vast underwater platform
这座气势宏大的基柱
This monumental plinth
彻底改变了从其两侧横扫的洋流的前进路线
drastically changes the rooting of the currents that sweep its flanks
它使得西来的克伦威尔寒流
It forces the cool, Cromwell current heading in from the west
猛然从海底上升了起来
to surge up from the ocean floor
夜幕降临的时候
As night falls
这股矿物质含量丰富的上升流 给加拉帕戈斯蒙上了一层迷幻的色彩
this mineral-rich upwelling brings the supernatural to Galapagos
千奇百怪的海底生物浮游而上
The most bizarre creatures rise from abyss
三维空间里的垂直运动
A vertical migration in a 3-Dimensional world
海洋里四处浮游的生物有些就像浮动的城♥堡♥
Some of these ocean vagrants are floating fortresses
鱼儿喜欢躲到里面去
providing precious shelter
对于其他生物，像这只螳螂虾幼虫
For others, like this mantis shrimp larvae
体型小又不引人注意，是它能够存活下来的关键
being small and inconspicuous is key to survival
小拟蝉虾，犹如一座精巧设计的玻璃雕塑
Young slipper lobsters are exquisite glass sculptures
而楬水母更是光彩夺目，仿佛是照耀黑暗海洋的彩色灯塔
While comb jellies are far more flamboyant beacons of color in a sea of darkness
加拉帕戈斯正显露出前所未有的面貌
Galapagos as it’s never been seen before
破晓时分，营养物含量丰富的克伦威尔洋流 沐浴在赤道的阳光之下
As day breaks the nutrient-rich Cromwell current is bathed by the equatorial sun
悬浮在水中的是大量的海洋微藻 微藻是海洋生命无穷无尽的食物源
triggering blooms of microscopic algae that feed an explosion of life
这股至关重要的洋流，有利于加拉帕戈斯一些最奇特的生物
This vital current has helped some of the strangest Galapagos creatures
像这些寒水企鹅，在赤道地带生活
like these cold water penguins to live at this latitude
克伦威尔洋流仅仅是滋养加拉帕戈斯的多种洋流之一
The Cromwell current is only one of many that feeds Galapagos
从南方涌入另一股寒流，洪堡洋流
Flowing in from the south, comes another cold current
洪堡洋流与西进的南赤道洋流交汇
the Humboldt merging with the south equatorial current heading west
从中美洲涌来的是巴拿马暖流
And from Central America, comes the warm Panama flow
这股洋流物含量稀少
This current is poorer in nutrient than the others
使得这块北方水域及其缺乏生命力
making these northern waters the least productive
这里的动物需要真我特殊的本领
Animals here need to be resourceful
成群结队的六带鲹是一个奇特的清洁站
Shoals of big eye jacks gather at particular cleaning stations
吸引了色彩缤纷的约翰兰德蝴蝶鱼的目光
attracting the attention of colorful barber fish
约翰兰德蝴蝶鱼喜欢吃鲹鱼皮肤上的寄生虫
The barber fish like to feed on skin parasites from the Jacks
这是一件对双方都有利的事情
It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement