《中英對照讀新聞》Climate change shifts sheep shape 氣候變遷改變羊的外型
◎鄭寺音
Climate change could have an impact on animal evolution and ecology, scientists believe.
科學家認為，氣候變遷可能對動物演化與生態產生了影響。
A 20-year study of Scottish sheep found weather patterns were driving changes in body shape and population size.
一份針對蘇格蘭羊隻的20年研究發現，氣候型態驅使體型與族群大小改變。
Harsh winters led to larger sheep, which brought about changes in population size, yet in milder winters this effect was not seen.
嚴寒的冬天造成較大型的羊隻，帶來族群大小的改變；但冬季較溫和時，則未看到這種影響。
"Until now, it has proven really quite difficult to show how ecology and evolutionary change are linked, but we have developed a way to tie them together," said Tim Coulson, an author of the paper and a scientist at Imperial College London.
報告作者、倫敦帝國學院的科學家庫爾森說：「直到現在，證明生態與演化改變有關聯，真的相當困難，但我們發展出一種方式，可將兩者連結起來。」
Dr Coulson and colleagues did this by examining a population of Soay sheep on the island of Hirta in the Outer Hebrides.
庫爾森博士與同僚，藉由觀察外赫布里底群島的希拉島上的索艾羊，得出這個成果。
They discovered body size was linked to animal numbers： when lots of large sheep came into the population, the numbers tended to fluctuate quite widely, possibly because body size is linked to reproductive success.
他們發現，體型大小與動物數量有關：當許多大型羊隻進入羊群，羊群數目就傾向有相當大幅的波動，可能是因為體型大小與繁殖成功有關。
He said the study revealed how environmental factors were driving evolutionary and ecological change, and predicted that as the climate changed, and winters became less frequently harsh, the sheep would get smaller and the population size would be more stable.
他說，這份研究披露環境因素如何促使演化與生態的改變，並預測隨著氣候改變，冬季嚴寒的情況越來越不常有，羊隻會越來越小，族群數目會趨於穩定。
新聞辭典
harsh：嚴厲的；惡劣的。例句：He had no harsh words or even criticism.（他沒講什麼嚴厲的話，甚至也沒有批評。）
bring about：引起、帶來。例句：Science has brought about many changes in our lives.（科學為我們的生活帶來很大變化。）
不要點我起來唸 不要點我起來唸 我會唸的 2266的
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