SSS 2011-06-15
时间：2019-01-08 作者：英语课 分类：Scientific American(六)月
This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute.
Climate change affects seasonal 1 events—spring flowers open earlier, songbirds breed sooner. But what about mammals? A new study documents the effect on a special breed of cows in the U.K.
Northumberland’s Chillingham cattle were once domesticated 2, but now roam free. And they offer a unique opportunity for study, because owners started keeping detailed 3 records on them in 1860, due in part to the urging of none other than Charles Darwin. The cattle are thus an excellent source of long-term info on how earlier springs affect what’s called phenology—seasonal lifecycle events.
The Chillinghams can give birth all year, not just spring and summer like most U.K. mammals. And the data show that over the past few decades, there’s been an increase in winter births, which the researchers correlated to warmer springs the previous year: plants grow earlier, the cattle have more access to nutrition and they conceive earlier.
But winter babies are more likely to die before they turn one. The research was published in the Journal of Animal Ecology.
The researchers say that even mammals that breed year round—which should offer protection against seasonal shifts—may still feel the impact of climate change.
Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American’s 60-Second Science, I’m Cynthia Graber.
- The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
- The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。
- He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》