Study: Plant-Eating Animals Are Most at Risk of Extinction
食草動物面臨滅絕的風險更高
Scientists often worry about the loss of the world's meat-eating animals. But a wide-reaching new study finds that plant-eating animals, or herbivores, are at higher risk of extinction.
科學家們常常擔心世界上的食肉動物滅絕。但一項涉獵廣泛的新研究發現，以植物為食的動物或食草動物面臨的滅絕風險更高。
In the new study, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, shows that about one in four species of herbivores, or 25.5 percent, are considered threatened. The IUCN, an organization of government and civilian groups, is widely recognized as the leading scientific source on extinction risk.
在這項新研究中，國際自然保護聯盟(IUCN)指出，大約四分之一或25.5%的食草動物被認為面臨滅絕的風險。國際自然保護聯盟是一個由政府和民間團體組成的組織，是公認的研究動物滅絕的主要科學組織。
Trisha Atwood, of Utah State University, led the research. She told the Associated Press that by comparison, 17.4 percent of meat eaters and 15.8 percent of omnivores, animals that eat meat and plants, are at risk.
猶他州立大學的特裡莎·阿特伍德（Trisha Atwood）領導了這項研究。她告訴美聯社記者，相比之下，17.4%的肉食動物和15.8%的雜食動物（既食肉也食草）面臨滅絕的風險。
The study appeared earlier this month in the publication Science Advances.
這項研究發表在本月早些時候的《科學進展》雜誌。
The researchers examined data for 22,166 species of animals with backbones. They noted whether each animal was a reptile, bird or mammal. They also examined animals by size, living environment and the area of the world they live in. On just about every measure, they found plant eaters were most at risk, especially in forest environments.
研究人員核查了22166種脊骨動物的數據，並標註所有動物的屬性——爬行動物、鳥類、哺乳動物。他們還研究了動物體型大小，生活環境和棲息的區域。他們發現，不管以哪種標準衡量，食草動物面臨的滅絕風險都是最大的——尤其是生活在森林環境中。
"The implications for this are huge," Atwood said. "We need to think about herbivores as being kind of the poster child of extinction."
阿特伍德表示：「這一影響是巨大的，我們要把食草動物視為滅絕的典型代表。」
So instead of polar bears and tigers, think of plant eaters like rhinoceroses and green sea turtles, Atwood said. The last male northern white rhinoceros in the wild died in 2018, but scientists are working to save the species through the use of stored embryos.
阿特伍德指出，與其擔心北極熊或老虎，不如先拯救犀牛和綠海龜等草食動物。2018年，最後一隻野生雄性北白犀牛死亡，但科學家們正努力通過利用儲存的胚胎來拯救這一物種。
The study centered on proportionality. There are many more predator species, so there are more predators at risk in total, but a larger share of herbivores are in trouble.
這項研究集中於比例問題。研究中涉及的食肉動物更多，所以總的來說，面臨滅絕危險的食肉動物也就更多，但是更高比例的食草動物也瀕臨滅絕。
Scientists even examined data on more than 2,000 species no longer alive. Again, they found herbivores had the highest share of extinction risk.
科學家甚至研究了2000多種已經滅絕的物種的數據，並再次驗證食草動物面臨最高的滅絕風險。
Atwood went into the study thinking that meat eaters were most at risk. However, she said the data — which included land and water species — pointed clearly at herbivores.
進行這項研究前，阿特伍德認為食肉動物面臨的風險最大。然而，包括陸地和水域物種在內的數據清楚地指向了食草動物。
Meat eaters she added, also are in trouble, but not as much as the herbivores they often eat.
她補充說，食肉動物的情況也不樂觀，只是被食用的食草動物的處境更加艱難。
Extinction causes, like invasive species, climate change and loss of living environments, affect herbivores more than other animals, Atwood said.
阿特伍德表示，物種滅絕的原因有很多——如物種入侵、氣候變化和生存環境的喪失等對食草動物的影響比其他動物更大。
Size may be part of the reason herbivores are more at risk, the ecologist said. Large herbivores need to eat more and so require more land. But the environments in which they live are shrinking, she said. Meat eaters and omnivores have larger areas in which to find food.
這位生態學家表示，體型可能是食草動物面臨更大風險的部分原因。大型食草動物需要更多的食物，因此需要更多的土地。阿特伍德指出，但它們的生存環境正在縮減。而肉食動物和雜食動物有更大的覓食空間。
Duke University conservation scientist Stuart Pimm, who was not part of the study, expressed some criticism of the research. He said it does not take into consideration the huge importance of available land area for food searches, a critical need for meat eaters.
杜克大學的保護科學家斯圖亞特·皮姆（Stuart Pimm）沒有參與這項研究，他對這項研究提出了一些批評意見。他表示，研究沒有考慮到可狩獵的土地範圍的重要性，這是肉食動物的迫切需求。
University of Miami biologist Mauro Galetti also was not part of the research. He said Atwood's study is important, makes sense and questions the traditional belief that environmental protection projects should center on top meat eaters.
邁阿密大學的生物學家毛羅·加萊蒂（University of Miami）也未參與這項研究。他表示，阿特伍德的研究很重要也很有意義，並質疑了環保項目應該以頂級肉食動物為中心的傳統觀念。
Large herbivores are highly important, especially in places like forests, Galetti said. "A world without herbivores would be a disaster for any natural ecosystem."
加萊蒂稱，大型食草動物非常重要，尤其是在森林中。「對於任何自然生態系統來說沒有食草動物都是一場災難。」
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