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Listen to part of a lecture in a botany class.
聽一段植物學(xué)課程。
Professor: When we talk about pollination ecology, we are talking about the relationship between a plant and its pollinator.
教授：當(dāng)我們提到授粉生態(tài)學(xué)，我們談?wù)摰氖侵参锖蛡鞣壅咧g的關(guān)系。
From the plants' perspective, the ideal pollinator is an animal that is under-fed, ready to eat and in a hurry.
從植物的角度來說，理想的傳粉者是一種饑餓的動物，準(zhǔn)備好飽餐一頓，而且時間不多。
The pollinator, on the other hand, wants to remain well-fed with as little effort as possible.
而另一方面，傳粉者希望維持在費盡可能少的力氣吃飽的狀態(tài)。
These factors help drive the evolution of plants and their pollinators, both of which depend on this balanced and delicate relationship.
這些因素有助于推動植物和傳粉者的進化，兩者都取決于這種平衡且微妙的關(guān)系。
Sometimes only certain insects or birds can pollinate certain plant species.
有時候，只有某些昆蟲或鳥類才能給某些植物傳粉。
So to really understand pollination ecology, both the flower and its pollinators must be studied.
要想真正了解授粉生物學(xué)，花朵和傳粉者都要研究，缺一不可。
Let's start with flowers.
我們先講花。
There are several important factors associated with pollination: when and how often a plan flowers, how long the flowering cycle lasts, and the number of flowers that open at the same time.
和傳粉息息相關(guān)的重要因素有好幾個：植物開花的時間和頻率、花期有多長、同時開花的花朵數(shù)量。
For example, flowering may coincide with the migration of a certain animal species that pollinates the plant, or producing many flowers at once may increase the number of pollinators a plant attracts.
舉個例子，植物開花可能正好趕在某種為之傳粉的動物遷徙的時候，或者，一次性開很多朵花也可能會吸引到更多的傳粉者。
Other characteristics of flowers are also important.
花朵的其它特性也很重要。
Features such as color, scent and shape attract pollinators, as does the reward in the flower, the pollen or the nectar, that feeds the pollinator.
例如像是顏色、香味和形狀等能吸引傳粉者的特質(zhì)，還有藏在花朵里的獎勵，花粉或花蜜，給傳粉者提供食物。
For example, flowers that attract bats tend to be green or cream-colored, because visibility is important.
譬如，吸引蝙蝠的花朵通常是綠色或奶油色的，因為可見度很重要。
Bats are practically blind, remember.
記住，蝙蝠基本上是瞎的。
And these flowers bloom at night when bats are active.
這些花在晚上盛開，這時候蝙蝠很活躍。
Now, there's a flower in the Amazon rainforest called a royal water lily and the characteristics of its flowers change during the pollination process.
在亞馬遜森林有一種花叫王蓮，它的花朵特性在傳粉期間會發(fā)生改變。
The royal water lily uses color, temperature and scent to attract the beetles that pollinate it.
王蓮以顏色、溫度和香味來吸引甲蟲為之傳粉。
When the flowers of the royal water lily first open up, when they first bloom, they are white.
當(dāng)王蓮最初開花時，花是白色的。
They also emit a strong odor and their temperature rises.
花朵還會散發(fā)出強烈的香氣，溫度也會上升。
Producing heat serves two purposes.
制造熱量有兩個目的。
It magnifies the scent of the flower and it helps the beetles maintain their body temperature.
它（制造熱量）能把花朵香氣變得更濃烈，也有助于甲蟲維持體溫。
When a beetle arrives at the flower, the flower closes around it for about 24 hours so that the beetle becomes covered with pollen.
當(dāng)一只甲蟲落到花朵上時，該花朵會閉合24小時，就能讓甲蟲身上覆滿花粉了。
Then when the flower opens, its color changes to red and it cools down.
接著當(dāng)花朵打開時，顏色就會變?yōu)榧t色，溫度下降。
When the beetle flies out, it carries the pollen to a different, heated, white, fragrant flower.
甲蟲飛出來時，它會把花粉帶到另一朵溫度較高的、白色的芬芳的花朵上去。
As you can see, plants go to a lot of trouble to attract attention.
正如你所見，植物花費不少精力來吸引（傳粉者）注意。
