Bird species that have lost the ability to fly through evolution have become extinct more often than birds that have retained their ability to fly, according to new research from the University of Gothenburg.
根據來自瑞典哥德堡大學的新研究，經由演化已經喪失飛行能力的鳥類物種，已經變得比一直保持飛行能力的鳥類更容易滅絕。
Today, we know that human influence on the environment has caused large numbers of plants and animals to die out. Human impact has fundamentally changed ecosystems and, globally, has driven hundreds of animal species to extinction.
當今，我們知曉人類對環境的影響，已經導致大量動、植物死亡。人類的影響已經根本改變了生態體系，並全球性驅使數百種動物物種滅絕。
One of the consequences of this is that biological pattens have become distorted. This, in turn, means that researchers have a harder time interpreting current data on species diversity, i.e. variations of species within an ecosystem or area.
此後果之一是，生物方面的原貌已經出現變形。依序，這意味著，研究人員們很難闡釋，有關物種多樣性的最新數據，即生態體系或區域內的物種變化。
“Studying human-caused species extinction can influence our understanding of evolution and help us to better understand the loss of species not caused by chance,” says Søren Faurby, senior author behind the new study and a researcher at the University of Gothenburg.
該項新研究背後資深撰文人，哥德堡大學研究員，Søren Faurby宣稱：「研究人類造成的物種滅絕，能影響人們有關演化的瞭解，且有於助人們更深入瞭解，並非偶然造成的物種滅絕。」
Together with his research colleagues, he has studied a larger evolutionary transition: the development of flightlessness among birds. For the first time, a study of this transition includes data from all known flightless species driven to extinction by humans.
連同其研究同僚們，Faurby已經研究了一種，較大的演化轉變：也就是，鳥類中不能飛的演化。這種轉變的首度研究包括來自，因人類驅使滅絕之所有已知不能飛行的物種數據。
They have found that, in many cases, the extinctions have had anthropogenic origins, which are effects that can be traced back to human activities. Flightless birds are more common than the researchers believed.
他們發現，在諸多情況中，物種滅絕一直具有，影響能被追溯到，人類活動之人為造成的起源。不能飛之鳥類其人為造成的起源，比此些研究人員認為的更為普遍。
Birds that have lost their ability to fly are a more common phenomenon than research has assumed up until now, according to the study. These species have then been impacted by human activities.
根據該項研究，鳥類失去飛行能力是一種，比迄今為止，研究曾經假設之更為普遍的現象。之後，此些物種一直受到人類活動的影響。
“Many bird species can develop flightlessness in environments without large predators, such as on islands, but they also become easier prey for both humans and animals, such as rats and cats,” says Ferran Sayol, the lead author behind this study and previously a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Gothenburg.
該項研究背後主要撰文人，先前哥德堡大學博士後研究員，Ferran Sayol宣稱：「在諸如島嶼上，無大捕食者的環境中，諸多鳥類會演化成不能飛行。不過，它們也成為人類及諸如大鼠及貓等動物，更為容易的獵物。」
The researchers have compiled a list of 581 bird species from 85 different families that have gone extinct during the past 126,000 years.
此些研究人員已經編纂了，來自85個不同科，在過去12萬6千年期間，已經滅絕之581種鳥類物種的一覽表。
“Based on morphological descriptions, we have determined that 166 of these species lacked the ability to fly. This is equivalent to 29 per cent of the extinct bird species. Currently, there are only 60 living flightless bird species. If we add the 166 species that have gone extinct, this totals 226 both existing and extinct flightless bird species."
「根據形態的記述，他們已經確認，此些物種中，166種缺乏飛行能力。這相當於已經滅絕鳥類的29％。當前，活著不能飛的鳥類，只有60種。倘若加上此些已經滅絕的166種物種，則現存及滅絕之不能飛的鳥類物種，總數是226種。」
The study shows that by adding these extinct birds to the global picture of bird diversity, it becomes clear that flightlessness developed at least four times as often as if the researchers only looked at living species.
該項研究顯示，藉由將此些滅絕的鳥類添加到，鳥類多樣性的全球狀況中。每當，倘若此些研究人員僅探究活著的鳥類物種時，顯然不能飛，至少顯現四倍的滅絕。
“We show that the development of flightlessness in birds is a widespread phenomenon. If humans had not caused some of these extinctions, we would still share the planet with more than 150 independently developed flightless groups of birds. Unfortunately, only 60 of these remain" says Ferran Sayol.
Ferran Sayol宣稱：「他們證實，於鳥類中，不能飛的演化是一種普遍現象。倘若人類沒有造成其中的一些滅絕，則人類仍然可能與多於150種，獨立演化成不能飛的鳥類共享地球。不幸的是，這些僅剩60種。」
原文網址：https://www.gu.se/en/news/flightless-bird-species-at-risk-of-extinction
翻譯：許東榮
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