双语科普：萤火虫面临灭绝

Fireflies Now Face Extinction

Fireflies have always been amazing insects. On the one hand, they feed the imagination of children with their bright bodies at night.

萤火虫一直是令人惊奇的昆虫。一方面，它们在晚上用它们明亮的身体来满足孩子们的想象。

They are also indicators of clean air, which means that a place where fireflies thrive is a place with clean air.

它们也是空气清洁的指标，这意味着萤火虫生长的地方就是空气清洁的地方。

However, a new report from scientists reveals that these bright insects are now in danger of extinction, thanks to artificial light, the use of pesticides and the loss of natural habitat.

然而，一份来自科学家的新报告显示，由于人造光、杀虫剂的使用和自然栖息地的丧失，这些明亮的昆虫正面临灭绝的危险。

As such, 2,000 species of fireflies are endangered.

因此，2000种萤火虫濒临灭绝。

According to Sara Lewis, a professor of biology at Tufts University, who led the research, one of the biggest contributors to the threat of losing all these fireflies are forever losing the habitat.

负责这项研究的塔夫茨大学(Tufts University)生物学教授萨拉·刘易斯(Sara Lewis)表示，造成萤火虫灭绝困境的最大因素之一是它们永远失去了栖息地。

In fact, fireflies often suffer because they need certain environmental conditions to survive and complete their life cycle, such as the clean air mentioned above.

事实上，萤火虫经常受到伤害是因为它们需要一定的环境条件来生存和完成它们的生命周期，比如上面提到的清洁空气。

An example is the Pteroptyx have, which is a Malaysian firefly famous for its synchronized flashing screens. To live, these fireflies need mangroves to reproduce.

一个例子是曲翅萤属，这是一种马来西亚萤火虫，以其同步发光而闻名。为了生存，这些萤火虫需要红树林来繁殖。

However, mangrove swamps in Malaysia are slowly becoming palm oil plantations and aquaculture farms.

然而，马来西亚的红树林正在慢慢变成棕榈油种植园和水产养殖场。

Another surprising threat is the use of artificial light at night (which includes direct lighting and glare from the sky), which is the second most serious threat to these insects.

另一个令人惊讶的威胁是在晚上使用人造光(包括直接照明和来自天空的眩光)，这是对这些昆虫的第二大威胁。

This is because many fireflies use bioluminescence to find and attract partners.

这是因为许多萤火虫利用生物发光来寻找和吸引伴侣。

As such, too much artificial light can deter these mating rituals, which can then interfere with their life cycles.

因此，过多的人造光会阻碍这些交配过程，从而干扰它们的生命周期。

2025年8月12日于经典龙苑