[Stories from the Sea] [Fish Tale My Secret Life as Plankton] How did I get here? Well, it's a stranger story than you might think. I came from a world of drifters, a place few humans have ever seen. The world of plankton. I came from a batch of a million eggs, and only a few of us survived. When I became a larva, I moved among other drifters. ["Plankton" comes from the Greek "planktos" for wandering] My fellow plankton came in all sizes, from tiny algae and bacteria to animals longer than a blue whale. I shared my nursery with other embryos and juveniles, from clams and crabs to sea urchins and anemones. (High pitch sound) We drifting animals are called zooplankton. The most common animals here are copepods and krill. (Buzzing) You could search the world over, but you'd never find a place more diverse than my childhood home. A teaspoon of seawater can contain more than a million living creatures. It can be a pretty tough existence, though. Trillions are born here, but only a few make it to adulthood. He may be no larger than a pin head, but this crab larva is an arrow worm's worst nightmare. (Bumping noises) (Buzzing) Epic battles between carnivores like these are just one way to get food. But the real powers of this place come from phytoplankton. Single-celled life that transforms sunlight and carbon dioxide into edible gold. Phytoplankton are the base for the largest food web in the world. During the night, many animals like me would rise up from the depths to feed on this sun-powered feast. (Maraca sound) I was part of the largest daily migration of life on Earth. During the day, I'd return to the darkness, where I'd join my bizarre companions. (High pitch buzz) (Flapping noises) Cannibals, like this sea butterfly mollusk, that eats its next of kin. And comb jellies, that beat cilia like rainbowed eyelashes. Some of these snare their prey with sticky tentacles, while others just take a bite out of their cousins. And siphonophores that catch prey with toxic fishing lures. But my favorite would have to be the crustacean Phronima. Its monstrous looks inspired the movie "Aliens." It can catch tiny bits in its bristles, but prefers larger prey like salps. With two sets of eyes, this female prowls the deeper water. Prey in hand, she performs one of the strangest behaviors in the entire animal kingdom. With body parts from her victims, she delicately assembles a barrel-like home feeding her young until they can drift off and survive on their own. Best of all, they make the perfect snack for a small fish like me. Here among the plankton, the food web is so tangled and complex, even scientists don't know who eats whom. But I do. At least now you know a bit of my story. There's so much more to me than just a tasty meal.
(音乐) [海中传奇] [鱼的自述: 我曾是浮游生物的秘密生活] 我是怎么到这里的? 这故事可比你想像的要更奇怪 我来自充满浮游流浪者的世界 一个少有人类见过的地方 ——浮游生物的世界 我从数以百万计的卵中孵出来 我们之中只有极少数存活下来 当我孵化成幼体时 我和其他的浮游者一起活动 「浮游生物一词来自希腊文 planktos 即漫游之意」 我们浮游生物大小各不相同 从微小的藻类与细菌 到比蓝鲸更长的动物 我在托儿所的同学 还有蛤蜊、螃蟹和海胆、海葵的 胚胎和幼体 (浮游生物杂音) 我们浮游的动物被称为 「浮游动物」 (zooplankton) 这里最常见的动物 是桡足类 (copepod) 和磷虾 (krill) 您可以找遍世界各地 但你找不到比我童年家庭 更多样化的地方了 一茶匙的海水 可能包含一百万个以上小生物 不过生活相当艰难 虽然出生的数以兆计 但活到成年的只占少数 它可能不比针头大 但这只蟹苗是箭头虫 (arrow worm) 最可怕的噩梦 (浮游生物杂音) 肉食动物之间的战斗 只是获得食物的方式之一 这个地方的真正能量来源是 「浮游植物」(phytoplankton): 它是能将阳光和二氧化碳转换为 可食用的「金矿」的一种单细胞生物 浮游植物是世界上 最大食物网的基础 在夜间 许多像我这样的动物,从深处上升 饱餐一顿太阳能的盛宴 (浮游生物杂音) 我是地球上最大规模 日迁移生物的一部分 到了白天 我回到黑暗,加入奇异的同伴中 有些会同类相残,像这只 软体动物──海蝴蝶 (sea butterfly) 会吃掉它的近亲 栉水母 (comb jelly) 有节奏地摆动着 像七彩睫毛的纤毛 有的用黏糊糊的触手设下陷阱 来捕捉猎物 有的则是一口咬掉堂兄弟 管水母 (Siphonophorae) 是用 有毒的鱼饵捕捉猎物 我的最爱则是甲壳动物「巧戎」 (虫戎) (Phronima) 可怕的长相启发了电影「异形」 它可以用短毛捕捉小东西 但更喜欢樽海鞘 (salps) 这类更大的猎物 它有两对眼睛 这只雌性在更深的水中觅食 她在用到手的猎物做着整个动物王国中 最奇怪的行为之一 就是用这个受害者的肢体 巧妙组装成水桶状的家 来喂养她的宝宝 直到它们可以漂走独立生存 最美妙的是,对我这样的小鱼而言 它们是完美的点心 浮游生物之间的 食物网太纠结复杂了 连科学家都不知道谁吃了谁 但我知道 至少你现在知道了一些我的故事 我可不只是道美味的菜肴而已