Wingmen in every sense of the word.

在世界的各個角落牽線搭橋。

You see, the bees' side of the whole "birds and the bees" business is to help plants find mates and reproduce.

你看，蜜蜂在兩性關係的情事上就是幫助植物找尋配偶和繁殖。

In their work as pollinators, honeybees are integral to the production of nearly 1/3 of the food that we eat.

作為傳粉者，我們所吃食物的有三分之一都離不開蜂蜜對生產的幫助。

And these bees, dutifully helping lonely plants have sex, aren't alone.

而那些稱職地幫助孤獨的植物繁衍後代的蜜蜂並不是在孤軍奮戰。

But rather are part of a very complex network of matchmaking creatures, critical for the pollination of natural ecosystems and crops.

反之，他們是屬於複雜的傳粉媒介網絡的一部分，對自然生態系統和作物的授粉至關重要。

Plants in many natural ecosystems need help to have sex.

在不少自然生態系統中，植物的繁衍都需要幫助。

Like many of us, they're too busy to find a relationship.

就如大多數的人，他們都太忙而沒時間找伴。

They have too much photosynthesis to do, and they can't find the time to evolve feet and walk to a singles bar.

他們要行太多光合作用、也沒時機演化出腳，讓自己可以走到單身酒吧。

Those places are called meat markets for a reason, because plants can't walk.

酒吧被稱為人肉市場其來有自，因為植物不能走動 (譯註：人肉市場即是性交易市場，因為植物不是「肉」，所以不得進入)。

So they need matchmaker pollinators to transport their pollen grains to flowers of the same plant species.

所以他們需要傳粉媒人將花粉運送到同品種的花兒那。

And they pay these pollinators with food.

而他們則給這些傳粉者食物做為報償。

Today, around 170,000 plant species receive pollination services from more than 200,000 pollinator species.

現今有超過 20 萬的傳粉者提供約 17 萬種植物傳粉服務。

Pollinators include many species of bees, butterflies, moths, flies, wasps, beetles, even birds and bats,

傳粉者包括多種品種的蜜蜂、蝴蝶、飛蛾、蒼蠅、黃蜂、 甲蟲、甚至小鳥和蝙蝠，

who together help pollinate many species of trees, shrubs and other flowering plants.

他們齊心協力幫助各個種類的樹、灌木和開花植物授粉。

In return, flowering plants are an abundant and diverse food source for pollinators.

而開花植物則替傳粉者提供豐富的食物來源作為回報。

For instance, fossil records suggest bees may have evolved from wasps that gave up hunting after they acquired a taste for nectar.

舉個例，化石記錄顯示：蜜蜂可能是從嚐過花蜜的美味後而放棄獵食的黃蜂演化而來。

Plant pollinator networks are everywhere.

植物傳粉者的網絡隨處可見。

Ecologists record these networks in the field by observing which pollinators visit which plants, or by analyzing the identity of pollen loads on their bodies.

生態學家藉由觀察哪種傳粉者拜訪哪種植物，或分析傳粉者身上帶的花粉品種，在野外記錄這些網絡。

Networks, registered in these ways, contain from 20 to 800 species.

以這種方法記載的網絡包含 20 到 800 種的物種在內。

These networks show a repeated structure, or architecture.

這些網絡有著重覆的結構或架構。

Pollinators interact with plants in a very heterogeneous way.

傳粉者與植物以各式各樣的方式互動。

Most plants are specialists, they have only one or a few matchmakers.

大多數的植物都是狹適應型，他們只能接受一種或少數幾種媒人。

Meanwhile, only a few generalist plants hire a diverse team of matchmakers, getting visits from almost all the pollinators of the network.

同時，只有少數幾種廣適應型植物能雇用多元化的媒人團隊，讓幾乎網絡內所有的傳粉者都能拜訪。

The same occurs with pollinators.

這在傳粉者上亦然。

Most are specialists that feed on only a few plant species, while a few pollinators, including the honeybee usually, are generalists, busily feeding from and matchmaking for almost all the plant species in that ecosystem.

大多數狹適應型的傳粉者只能以少數幾種植物為食，但也有幾種傳粉者是廣適應型，通常包括蜜蜂，他忙碌地幫生態系裡幾乎所有的植物作媒並從中取食。

What's interesting is that specialists and generalists across both plants and pollinators, sort themselves out in a particular pattern.

有趣的是，狹適應型和廣適應型的植物及傳粉者，都有一套模式可以將自己跟對方區分開來。

Most pollinator networks, for which we have data, are nested.

數據顯示，多數傳粉者網絡都是嵌套式的。

In a nested network, specialists tend to interact more with generalists than with other specialists.

嵌套式網絡中，狹適型與廣適型間的互動多過與其他狹適型間的互動。

This is because if you're a specialist plant, and your only matchmaker also specializes on you as its only food source, you're each more vulnerable to extinction.

因為如果你是一株狹適型的植物，而你唯一的媒人也只視你為唯一的食物來源，你們兩個都會更容易絕種。

So, you're better off specializing on a generalist pollinator that has other sources of food to ensure its persistence in bad years.

所以你最好找一個廣適型的傳粉者，因為他還有其他的食物來源，以確保在荒年也能活下去。

The same goes if you're a specialist pollinator.

這套理論也適用於狹適型的傳粉者。

You're better off in the long run specializing on a generalist plant that gets pollinated by other species in times when you're not around to help.

以長遠之計，你最好專攻一種廣適型的植物，因為當你不在附近傳粉時，其他傳粉者也能幫你的植物傳粉。

Finally, in addition to nestedness, the networks are usually modular.

最後，除了嵌套式，這種網絡通常是模組化的。

This means that the species in a network are compartmentalized into modules of plants and animals that interact more with each other than with species in other modules.

這代表一個網絡內的物種會被劃分成幾個包含動植物的模組，他們與自己模組內的個體互動多，與其他模組的個體互動少。

Think of them like social cliques.

把他們想成社會上的黨派就對了。

A plant or pollinator dying off will effect the species in its module.

一株植物或一隻傳粉者的死亡會對其所屬模組的物種產生影響。

But those effects will be less severe on the rest of the network.

但這些對外的影響就輕微得多。

Why's all that important?

為什麼這很重要？

Because plant pollinator network structure affects the stability of ecosystems.

因為植物傳粉者的網絡結構會影響到生態系統的穩定與否。

Heterogeneous distribution, nestedness and modularity enable networks to better prevent and respond to extinctions.

異質分佈、嵌套性及模組性讓網絡更能夠預防、應對物種的滅絕。

That's critical because nature is never static.

這很重要，因為大自然絕非靜態。

Some species may not show up every year.

某些種類並非年年出現。

Plants flower at different times.

植物在不同的時間開花。

Pollinators mature on varying schedules.

傳粉者當然也有不同的成熟期。

Generalist pollinators have to adapt their preferences depending on who's flowering when.

廣適應型傳粉者必須根據不同植物的花期，來調整他們的優先順序。

So from one flowering season to the next, the participants and patterns of matchmaking can drastically change.

所以從這個花季到下一個花季，相親和作媒的模式會大大地改變。

With all those variables, you can understand the importance of generalist pollinators, like bees, to the stability of not only a crop harvest, but the entire network of plants and pollinators we see in nature, and rely on for life.

有這麼多的變數，你就能瞭解廣適型傳粉者的重要性。像蜜蜂，他們不但對作物收成的穩定性很重要，對我們在大自然所見整個植物及傳粉者的網絡亦然，我們也是賴以維生。

Next time you see a bee fly by, remember that it belongs to a complex network of matchmakers critical to the love lives of plants all around you.

下次你看到一隻蜜蜂飛過，別忘了他是一個複雜媒人圈的一員，對你身邊植物的愛情生活至關重要。