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Insect exoskeletons also work like body armor, protecting insects against the outside world and helping them cope with habitats that other creatures can't.
昆蟲的外骨骼就像保護身體的盔甲一樣抵御外部環境的傷害，幫助它們應對其他生物不能生存的棲息地。
Even their small size, which we might see as a disadvantage, is something they use to their benefit.
即使它們體型很小，我們也許把這個看做一項劣勢，有時候它們也利用這點成為一項優勢。
Because most species are so tiny, millions of insects can inhabit a small space and make use of all the available resources within it.
由于大部分種類的昆蟲都非常小，數百萬的昆蟲可以棲息在一個很小的地方，并且這地方所有的資源都可以為它們所用。
This means they can occupy hundreds of different niches across ecosystems.
這意味著它們可以在整個生態系統中占據成百上千的小生境。
Some insects survive by eating the roots, stems, leaves, seeds, pollen, and nectar of specific plants.
一些昆蟲靠吃某種植物的根生存，一些吃莖或是葉子種子花粉以及花蜜。
Others, like wasps, make use of live insects by paralyzing the victims and laying their eggs inside so that when the hatchlings emerge, they can eat their way out and get nourishment.
另一些昆蟲，比如胡蜂，會利用其它昆蟲麻痹受害者，把卵產在它的體內，當卵孵化成功以后幼蟲就可以通過啃食尸體獲得養分。
Mosquitos and biting flies feed on blood, taking advantage of this unusual resource to ensure their survival.
蚊子和蟄蠅以血為食，依靠這種特別的食物得以生存。
And a whole bunch of other insects have built a niche around feces.
還有很多其它昆蟲以糞便為存活的依靠。
Flies lay their eggs there, and some beetles even build large balls out of animal dung, which they eat and use as accommodation for their eggs.
蒼蠅在其中產卵，有些甲蟲甚至會把動物的糞便滾成球作為食物以及卵的孵化場。
And then there's the insects' mighty power of metamorphosis.
下面要說的是昆蟲強大的變態能力。
This trait not only transforms insects, but also helps them maximize the available resources in an ecosystem.
這一特征不僅讓昆蟲變形、進化更可以讓它們最大限度地利用生態系統中的可用資源。
Take butterflies.
以蝴蝶為例。
In their larval caterpillar form, they chomp hungrily through leaves at a rapid rate to help them grow and spin cocoons.
在處于毛毛蟲的幼蟲階段它們會不停地、快速地啃食樹葉來幫助它們生長并結繭。
But when they emerge as butterflies, these insects feed only on flower nectar.
但當它們變成蝴蝶后它們只吃花粉了。
Metamorphosis means the larvae and adults of one species will never compete for the same resource, so they successfully share an ecological niche without limiting their own success.
生物變態意味著同一個物種的幼蟲期和成蟲期絕對不會搶奪相同的食物，它們可以完美地共享同一個生態環境又不會限制自己的生長。
This process is so efficient that an incredible 86% of insect species undergo complete metamorphosis.
這一過程是非常高效的所以有86%的昆蟲物種會經歷完全變態。
We're big and they're small, so it's easy to forget that these critters are moving in their millions all around us, all the time.
人類比較大，而昆蟲非常小有時候我們很容易忘記這些生物一直在我們的周圍活動，幾百萬幾百萬為一群。
But examine almost any patch of ground, and you're sure to find them there.
但如果你隨便翻看一小塊土地都能看到它們的身影。
Their numbers are immense, and their success is unmatched.
它們的數量是巨大的，它們的成功是無可比擬的。
We may have to accept that it's insects, not us, that are the true conquerors of the planet.
我們必須接受這樣的事實，昆蟲才是這個星球真正的主宰者，而不是人類。
