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朱利安赫胥黎《自然界的平衡》(中英文互译)•朱利安・赫胥黎(Sir JulianSorell Huxley,1887—1975),英国生物学家、作家、(人道主义者提倡自然选择他曾担任动物学社会伦敦书记年至年)、第19351942(一届联合国教育科学文化组织首长年至年),亦是世界自然基金会创19461948始成员之一The Balanceof Nature刍然界的平衡The balanceof natureis avery elaborateand verydelicate systemofchecks andcounterchecks,it iscontinually beingaltered asclimateschange,as neworganisms evolve,as animalsor plantspermeate tonewareas.But thealterations havein thepast,for themost part,been slow,whereas with the arrivalof civilizedman,their speedhas beenmultipliedmanyfold:from theevolutionary time-scale,where changeis measuredbyperiods often ora hundredthousand years,they havebeen transferredtothe humantime-scale in which centuriesand evendecades count.自然界的平衡是一种十分精密复杂而又敏感脆弱的抑制与反抑制体系,它总是随着气候条件的变化,随着新的生物体的形成,随着动植物蔓延入新的地区而持续不断地变化着可是,在过去,这些变化大部分是很缓慢的,而自从文明人出现以后,变化的速度便增大了很多倍用以测量它们的时间标度,已经从适用于自然演化过程的、以一万年或十万年为计量单位的时间标度,转变成人类所使用的、以几百年甚至几十年为计量单位的时间标度Everywhere manis alteringthe balanceof nature.He isfacilitating thespreadof plantsand animalsinto newregions,sometimes deliberately,sometimes unconsciously.He iscovering hugeareas withnew kindsofplants,or withhouses,factories,slag-heaps andother productsof hiscivilization.He exterminatessome specieson alarge scale,but favoursthemultiplication ofothers.In briefhe hasdone morein fivethousand yearstoalter thebiological aspectof theplanet thanhas naturein fivemillion.人类到处都在改变着自然界的平衡他帮助动植物进入新的地区,有时是有意的,有时是无意的他正在用新的植物种类,或者用房屋、工厂、炉渣堆或其他的文明产物覆盖大片的土地他使有些物种大批消亡,却造成有利条件使另外一些物种成倍地增加总之,人类在五千年内比大自然在五百万年内做了更多的事来改变地球的生态Many ofthese changeswhich hehas brought about havehad unforeseenconsequences.Who would have thought that thethrowing awayof apieceof Canadianwaterweed would have causedhalf thewaterways ofBritain tobeblocked fora decade,or that the provisionof potcacti forlonelysettlers wiveswouldhaveled toEastern Australiabeing overrunwithforests ofPrickly PearWho wouldhave prophesiedthatthecutting downofforests onthe Adriaticcoasts,or inparts ofCentral Africa,could havereducedthe landto asemidesert,withthevery soilwashed awayfrom thebarerock Whowouldhavethoughtthatimproved communicationswouldhave changedhistory bythe spreadingof disease-sleeping sicknessinto;East Africameasles intoOceania,very possiblymalaria intoancientGreece他所造成的许多变化已经产生了没有预料到的后果谁能料到,扔掉一株加拿大水草会使英国的一半水路阻塞十年之久?谁又能料到,为那些移民们的寂寞的妻子提供一盆仙人掌会使澳大利亚东部的霸王树林蔓延成灾?谁能预见,砍去亚德里亚海滨或中非某些地区的森林会使泥土流失,剩下光秃秃的岩石,使良田变成半沙漠?谁想得到,改进交通竟也会传播疾病——使昏睡症传入了东非,麻疹传入了大洋洲,古希腊的疟I疾很可能也是别处传入的——从而改变了历史的发展These arespectacular examples;but exampleson asmaller scaleareeverywhere tobe found.We makea naturesanctuary forrare birds,prescribing absolutesecurity forall species;and wemay findthat somecommonand hardykind ofbird multipliesbeyond measureand ouststherare kindsinwhichwe wereparticularly interested.We see,owing tosomelittle changebroughtaboutby civilization,the starlingspread overtheEnglish country-side inhordes.We improvethe yieldingcapacities ofourcattle;and findthat nowthey exhaustthe pastureswhich sufficedfor lessexigentstock.We gailyset aboutkilling thecarnivores thatmolest ourdomesticanimals,the hawksthat eatour fowlsand game-birds;and findthatin sodoing weare alsoremoving thebrake thatrestrains the1multiplication ofmice andother littlerodents thatgnaw awaythe farmersprofits.这都是些令人瞩目的例子,规模较小的例子则到处可见我们为某些稀有鸟类设立了自然保护区,规定保障全部物种的绝对安全,其结果却可能是一些普通而又易生存的鸟类大量繁殖,逐出了我们真正感兴趣的珍贵品种我们看到,由于现代文明带来的某些小变化,使英国处处出现了成群结队的燕八哥我们提高了牛的生育能力,现在却发现它们耗竭了过去足以养活那些对生存条件不那么苛求的牲畜的牧场我们得意地着手捕杀危害家畜的食肉动物才矍食家禽及野味的苍鹰,但发现这样做却使啃噬农民收益的老鼠和其他啮齿动物无限制地繁殖起来。