来源：《新科学家》
原文刊登日期：2021年1月22日
本文适合英语二考生
The number of bee species recorded worldwide has been sharply decreasing since the 1990s. Eduardo Zattara and Marcelo Aizen at the National University of Comahue in Argentina analysed how many wild bee species are observed each year as recorded in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility – a publicly available platform where researchers and citizens can record sightings of bee species.
自20世纪90年代以来，世界范围内记录的蜜蜂种类数量急剧下降。阿根廷国立科马休大学的Zattara和Aizen分析了全球生物多样性信息数据库记录的每年有多少野生蜜蜂物种被观察到。全球生物多样性信息数据库是一个公共平台，研究人员和公民可以记录蜜蜂物种的目击情况。
They found that there were a quarter fewer species reported between 2006 and 2015, as compared with the records we have from before 1990.
他们发现，与1990年之前的记录相比，2006年至2015年间报告的物种减少了四分之一。
The decline is especially alarming considering the number of bee records in this database has increased by around 55 per cent since 2000, so it isn’t down to a lack of observations.
考虑到该数据库中蜜蜂物种记录的数量自2000年以来增加了55%左右，这种下降尤其令人担忧，所以这并不是由于缺乏观察。
“Our work is the first long-term assessment of global bee decline,” says Zattara. Previous bee research has been confined to a specific species or a particular location.
“我们的工作是对全球蜜蜂物种数量下降的首次长期评估，”Zattara说。以前的蜜蜂研究仅限于特定的物种或特定的地点。
The researchers found that the decline isn’t consistent across all bee families. Records of the rare Melittidae family of around 200 bee species have fallen by as much as 41 per cent since the 1990s, versus 17 per cent for the more common Halictidae family.
研究人员发现，并非所有蜜蜂科的下降趋势都是一致的。自20世纪90年代以来，由大约200种蜜蜂组成的珍稀蜂科记录下降了41%，而较常见的卤虫科记录下降了17%。
It may not necessarily mean unrecorded bee species are extinct, but they are now rare enough that people who tend to report bee sightings aren’t encountering them.
这可能并不一定意味着未记录的蜜蜂物种已经灭绝，但它们现在已经非常罕见，以至于那些倾向于报告蜜蜂目击的人不会遇到它们。
The destruction of natural habitats, heavy use of pesticides and climate change could explain this decline in species richness, says Zattara.
Zattara说，自然栖息地的破坏、大量使用杀虫剂和气候变化可以解释物种丰富度的下降。
“We are producing more food to feed our growing population,” says Zattara. “We are using highly economically convenient ways to grow single-culture crops, which is removing a lot of the bees’ natural habitat.”
Zattara说：“我们正在生产更多的粮食来养活不断增长的人口，我们正在使用经济上非常方便的方式种植单一栽培作物，这将破坏很多蜜蜂的自然栖息地。”
The global decline in species mirrors what has previously been reported in Britain. But the researchers note that studies in more remote areas are needed to gain a full picture, as most existing data comes from North America and Europe, where it may be easier to record bee species.
全球物种数量的下降反映了之前在英国报道过的情况。但研究人员指出，需要在更偏远的地区进行研究，以获得全面的情况，因为大多数现有数据来自北美和欧洲，那里可能更容易记录蜜蜂种类。
For example, it is easier to record and identify wildlife in places where people have increased access to smartphones with high quality cameras, says Gary Powney at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, who is worried about the findings. “These declines are alarming for both food security and the health of the natural world.”
例如，英国生态和水文中心的加里·波尼对研究结果表示担忧，他说，在人们越来越多地使用带有高质量摄像头的智能手机的地方，记录和识别野生动物更容易。“考虑到粮食安全和自然界的健康，这些下降都是令人担忧的。”