植物会思考吗？

2017-10-25Maggie

新东方英语·中学版 2017年10期

Maggie

植物的种类多种多样，可以用来描述它们的词汇也是层出不穷，但除了“美”“茂盛”抑或甚至是“多刺”这几个我们偶尔会用到的形容词之外，你可曾把“聪明”这个词儿和植物联系到一起？

我们的这些植物朋友“满脑子叶子”，然而事实证明，我们在获取它们的大量新知识。其中最惊人的发现就是，有证据表明，植物可以用一套复杂的化合物系统来进行交流。这些分子反应使植物有了一套自我保护的方法，比如通过吸引捕食者去袭击那些正在大口大口啃食它们身体的虫子。这些化学信号还会提醒周围的植物有危险，不管那危险是一只虫子来袭、一只寄生虫入侵还是周围的环境亮起了红灯。在有些情况下，植物做出的化学反应能产生毒素，令近在咫尺的害虫动弹不得。此外，受伤的植物还会释放出化学物质，这就相当于它们在发出无声的尖叫。

即使植物可以进行所有这些复杂的交流，它们还是没有可以处理和传播信息的大脑或中枢神经中心。没有大脑，植物会思考吗？从传统意义上来说是不能的。你永远也不会和一株植物坐在一起，在大学课堂里听课或是等待一场求职面试。然而，一些科学家却认为植物的确能展现出另一种形式的智慧，包括对长远未来出现的结果进行判断的能力。

以欧洲的伏牛花为例，这种植物非常容易受到实蝇科果蝇的侵害，因为它会在伏牛花的浆果里产卵。当这些卵孵化出来后，幼虫就靠吃浆果里的种子为生。这对伏牛花来说显然是个坏消息，但对果蝇的幼虫来说也同样是个坏消息，因为伏牛花这种植物对此能做出十分灵敏的反应。随着这种寄生虫站住脚跟，伏牛花会根据内部和外部的情况来估算风险、回想之前的行为。

随着果实慢慢成了太多幼虫的家，伏牛花会根据以下几个因素做出反应。如果这个果实里有两颗种子且其中一颗受到了寄生虫的侵扰，那随后正在发育的幼虫就会以这个果实里的两颗种子為食。不过倘若伏牛花终止了受到侵扰的那颗种子的生长，那么种子中的寄生虫也将死去，另一颗种子从而得救。不过，受到寄生虫侵扰的果实并不总会终止其种子的生长，而是要取决于果实中有几颗种子。如果一个果实中仅有一颗种子且这颗种子还受到了寄生虫的侵害，若是伏牛花终止了种子的生长，那这整个果实就都保不住了。相反，伏牛花似乎能“推测”到幼虫会自然死亡——这是有可能的，虽然可能性不大，但也总比完全没有可能强。简而言之，科学家们推测伏牛花既能预料损失，也能预见风险——通过有选择地终止被侵扰的那颗种子的生长从而保住另一颗完好无损的种子，或是在终止种子生长无济于事时让果实继续生长。

此外，许多植物还被证明拥有方向感。无论它们被放置时朝什么方向，它们都会让它们的根须向着下面的土地生长。有些植物还有使用伪装术的本领，一旦被触碰就会像是枯萎了一般，对那些想吃它们的动物而言，看起来就没那么有吸引力了。

There are many different varieties of plants and nearly as many ways to describe them. But aside from the occasional "beautiful"， "lush1）" or even "prickly2）" adjective， have you ever attached the word "intelligent" to a plant？

Turns out， we're learning a host of new things about our foliage3）-minded friends. Among the biggest revelations4） is evidence that plants can communicate using a complex system of chemical compounds. These molecular5） responses allow plants a measure of self-defense by， for example， attracting predators to attack the insects munching6） on their body. These chemical signals can also alert neighboring plants to danger， be it an insect， a parasite7） or an environmental red flag. In some cases， a plant's chemical response can produce poison that makes a clear and present8） pest unable to do anything. Further， plants that are injured emit chemicals that are the equivalent of a silent scream.

Even with all this complex communication， plants still lack brains or central nerve centers that can process and spread information. Without a brain， can a plant think？ Not in the traditional sense. You'll never sit next to a plant in a college class or while waiting for a job interview. However， some scientists believe plants do exhibit a form of alternative intelligence， including the ability to judge consequences well9） into the future.endprint

Take the European barberry10） plant. It's likely to be attacked by the tephritid fruit fly11）， which lays its eggs inside the barberry's berries. After the eggs hatch， the larvae12） survive by eating the seeds inside the berries. While this is clearly bad news for the barberry， it's also bad news for the larval fruit fly， thanks to the plant's highly developed response. As the parasite takes hold， the barberry calculates risks and recalls previous actions based on internal and external conditions.

As the fruit becomes home to too many larvae， the barberry's response depends on several factors. If the fruit has two seeds and one of them is infested13） with the parasite， later on the developing larva will feed on both seeds. If however the plant aborts14） the infested seed， then the parasite in that seed will also die and the second seed in the berry15） is saved. The seeds of the infested fruits are not always aborted， but rather it depends on how many seeds there are in the berries. If the barberry aborts a fruit with only one infested seed， then the entire fruit would be lost. Instead it appears to "speculate" that the larva could die naturally， which is a possibility. Slight chances are better than none at all. In short， scientists speculate that the plant expects both the losses and risks by either selectively terminating the infested seed in order to save the second intact16） seed or allowing the fruit to continue to grow when its termination will have little effect.

In addition， plants have been shown to have a sense of direction； they'll aim their roots downward to the ground， no matter how they are oriented. Some also have the ability to use camouflage17） by appearing to shrivel18） when touched and look less attractive to plant eaters.

1. lush [l..] adj. 茂盛的；茂密的

2. prickly [.pr.kli] adj. 多刺的

3. foliage [.f..li.d.] n. （植物的）葉；枝叶

4. revelation [.rev..le..n] n. （尤指出人意料的）被揭示的真相；（惊人的）新发现

5. molecular [m..lekj.l.（r）] adj. 分子的

6. munch [m.nt.] vi. 大声咀嚼，用力咀嚼（脆的食物）

7. parasite [.p.r.sa.t] n. 寄生生物；寄生虫

8. clear and present：迫在眉睫的；就在眼前的

9. well [wel] adv. 完全地；彻底地；全部地

10. barberry [.bɑ.b.r.] n. 小檗属植物（多刺，开黄花，结红色酸果，常用作围篱）；伏牛花

11. tephritid fruit .y：实蝇科果蝇

12. larva [.lɑ.v.] n. 幼虫；幼体（复数形式为larvae或larvas）