韋恩食記

When we look at the way in which biodiversity (biological diversity) is distributed over the land surface of the planet, we find that it is far from even. 當我們觀察生物多樣性在地球表面分佈的方式，我們發現這是非常不平均的。

The tropics contain many more species overall than an equivalent area at the higher latitudes. 與較高緯度地區在同等面積相比下，熱帶地區包含更多的物種。

This seems to be true for many different groups of animals and plants. ☐  對於許多不同種類的動植物，似乎都是正確的。

Why is it that higher latitudes have lower diversities than the tropics? 為什麼高緯度地區的多樣性低於熱帶地區？

☐ Perhaps it is simply a matter of land area. 也許這僅僅是個土地面積的問題。

☐ The tropics contain a larger surface area of land than higher latitudes — a fact that is not always evident when we examine commonly used projections of Earth's curved surface, since this tends to exaggerate the areas of land in the higher latitudes — and some biogeographers regard the differences in diversity as a reflection of this effect. 熱帶地區比高緯度地區擁有更大面積的土地 — 當我們使用最常用的地球曲面的投影檢查時，這個事實並不顯而易見，因為這往往誇大了高緯度地區的土地面積 — 一些生物地理學家認為生物多樣性的差異是這種影響的反映。 (破折號裡面的東西除非題目有問，不然不用讀)

☐ But an analysis of the data by biologist Klaus Rohde does not support this explanation. 但是生物學家Klaus Rohde對數據分析後並不支持此解釋。

Although area may contribute to biodiversity, it is certainly not the whole story; otherwise, large landmasses would always be richer in species. 雖然面積可能有助於生物多樣性，但這肯定不是全部的原因；不然的話，大型陸地會含有更豐富的物種。

此段提到的progections of Earth's curved surface https://www.thenewslens.com/article/125829

Productivity seems to be involved instead, though perhaps its influence is indirect. 這似乎牽涉到生產率，儘管它的影響可能是間接的。
Where conditions are most suitable for plant growth — that is, where temperatures are relatively high and uniform and where there is an ample supply of water — one usually finds large masses of vegetation. 在條件最適合植物生長的地方 — 也就是那些溫度較高且均勻及有充足水源供應的地方 —  通常會發現大量的植物。(破折號裡面的東西除非題目有問，不然不用讀。但第五題剛好就有問到，所以要讀)

This leads to a complex structure in the layers of plant material. 這導致了植物體有一個複雜的結構層。
In a tropical rain forest, for example, a very large quantity of plant material builds up above the surface of the ground. 例如，在熱帶雨林中，大量的植物體聚集在地面上。

There is also a large mass of material, developed below ground as root tissues, but this is less apparent. 也有大量的植物體在地下發育成根組織，但這不太明顯。

Careful analysis of the aboveground material reveals that it is arranged in a series of layers, the precise number of layers varying with age and the nature of the forest. 仔細分析地表上的植物體顯示，它被排列在一系列的層中，層的精確數量隨著年齡和森林的性質而有所不同。
The arrangement of the biological mass ("biomass") of the vegetation into layered forms is termed its "structure" (as opposed to its "composition", which refers to the species of organisms forming the community). 植被的生物量("生物質")按層狀排列的形式被稱為"結構"(和"組成"相對，"組成"是指形成群落的生物種類）。

Structure is essentially the architecture of vegetation, and as in the case of some tropical forests, it can be extremely complicated. 結構本質上是植被的架構，如同一些熱帶森林一樣，情況可能極其複雜。

In a mature floodplain tropical forest in the Amazon River basin, the canopy (the uppermost layers of a forest, formed by the crowns of trees) takes on a stratified structure. 在亞馬遜流域的成熟的洪氾區熱帶森林中，樹冠（由樹冠構成的森林最上層，）採取分層結構。

There are three clear peaks in leaf cover at heights of approximately 3, 6, and 30 meters above the ground; and the very highest layer, at 50 meters, corresponds to the very tall trees that stand free of the main canopy and form an open layer of their own. 樹冠離地面約3公尺、6公尺、和30公尺的高度處有三個明顯的峰；50米的最高層對應著非常高大的樹木，它們擺脫主冠的遮蓋站立著，並且形成自己的開放層。

So, such a forest contains essentially four layers of canopy. 所以，這樣的森林基本上包含四層的樹冠。

Forests in temperate lands often have just two canopy layers, so they have much less complex architecture. 溫帶的森林通常只有2個冠層，所以它們的結構就沒有那麼複雜。

此段提到的biomass https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%94%9F%E7%89%A9%E8%B4%A8
此段提到的canopy  https://world.mongabay.com/chinese-traditional/004.html

Structure has a strong influence on the animal life inhabiting a site. 結構對居住在這裡的動物的生活有很大的影響。

It forms the spatial environment within which an animal feeds, moves around, shelters, lives, and breeds. 它構成了動物覓食、移動、躲避、生活和繁殖的空間環境。

It even affects the climate on a very local level (the "microclimate") by influencing light intensity, humidity, and both the range and extremes of temperature. 它甚至通過影響光照強度、濕度以及溫度的範圍和極限值，來影響局部的當地氣候（微氣候）。

An area of grassland vegetation with very simple structure, for example, has a very different microclimate at the ground level from that experienced in the upper canopy. 舉例來說，一個結構非常簡單的草地植被區域，和那些有著上層樹冠的地表區域有著非常不同的微氣候。

Wind speeds are lower, temperatures are lower during the day (but warmer at night), and the relative humidity is much greater near the ground. 白天的風速較低，氣溫也較低(但夜間的氣溫較溫暖），地面的相對濕度也更大。

The complexity of the microclimate is closely related to the complexity of structure in vegetation, and generally speaking, the more complex the structure of vegetation, the more species of animal are able to make a living there. 微氣候的複雜性與植被結構的複雜程度密切相關，一般而言，植被的結構越複雜，在那生活的動物種類就越多。

The high plant biomass of the tropics leads to a greater spatial complexity in the environment, and this leads to a higher potential for diversity in the living things that can occupy a region. 熱帶地區的高生物量導致更高的環境空間複雜度，這導致了佔據一個區域的生物多樣性的可能性更高。

The climates of the higher latitudes are generally less favorable for the accumulation of large quantities of biomass; hence, the structure of vegetation is simpler and the animal diversity is consequently lower. 高緯度地區的氣候條件一般不利於大量生物量的累積，因此，植被結構簡單，動物多樣性也較低。

此段提到的microclimate https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BE%AE%E6%B0%A3%E5%80%99