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For insects in Europe, climate change has led to habitat change.
對于歐洲的昆蟲而言，氣候變化導致它們生活環境的變化。
In the past couple of decades, for example, Mediterranean butterfly and dragonfly species have been found flying around places previously off limits to them—new new northern climes such as Germany.
例如在過去的幾十年里，地中海的蝴蝶和蜻蜓等物種已經不再墨守陳規，飛往像德國這樣北方氣候的地區。
Now a study in Nature Communications finds a colorful reason for the northern expansion.
發表在《自然通訊》雜志上的一項研究表明，物種的北移是由于顏色的原因。
As northern Europe warms, the light-colored butterflies and dragonflies typically found in the Mediterranean find themselves able to survive in the newly warmer north, and to even outcompete their darker-colored rivals.
隨著北歐氣候變暖，淺色的典型地中海昆蟲蝴蝶和蜻蜓發現自己比那些深色的同類更適宜在溫暖的北部生存。
Lighter colors reflect sunlight while dark colors absorb it and heat up.
淺顏色可以反射太陽光，而深顏色吸收陽光并使自己變熱。
Hence chocolate ice cream melts in the sun faster than vanilla.
因此巧克力冰淇淋在太陽下比香草冰淇淋更容易快速融化。
Lighter-colored insects thus function well in warmer climates.
這些淺色的昆蟲更適宜溫暖氣候。
They don't overheat as easily and can stay active longer, giving them a leg up—well, six legs up—in our warming world.
它們不會變的更熱，這樣可活動的時間就更長，從而在溫暖的世界里比深色的昆蟲更占上風。
The researchers say this migration of insects shows that climate change isn't something that's coming—it's already happening.
研究人員稱，昆蟲的遷移說明了氣候變化不是將要來臨，而是已經來了。
And it could drastically affect which insects up end up where.
這會大大影響昆蟲的生存環境，甚至是它們生死存亡。
Which will in turn affect us.
而后就會作用到我們身上。
