Chile’s New National Park Offers a Glimpse of Life in the Cosmos從智利新國家公園窺宇宙生命

斯蒂芬妮·維米利恩　楊樹鋒/譯

A new national park in Chile will protect 141，000 acres of biodiverse ecosystem in the Atacama Desert， where a rare superbloom paints one of the worlds most barren places with red， magenta1， and marigold wildflowers. Last Octobers impressive display， the first in five years， inspired the government to form northern Chiles sixth national park， Desierto Florido.

在智利阿塔卡馬沙漠里，有面積達(dá)141，000 英畝的生物多樣性生態(tài)系統(tǒng)。一場罕見的野花“超級盛開”，將這一人間至貧至瘠之所在，用大紅、洋紅的野花和野生萬壽菊濃妝艷抹起來。為保護(hù)這一生態(tài)系統(tǒng)，智利政府將新建一座國家公園。2022年10月那次令人印象深刻的綻放，是五年來的第一次，激發(fā)了智利政府在該國北部建立第六個(gè)國家公園：花海沙漠國家公園。

The Atacama， the worlds driest nonpolar desert， brims with blooms that sprout every three to ten years; the insects and birds that rely on them; and the microorganisms that flourish in the zones harsh， hyper-arid core. Many of these microbes hold clues about survival on an increasingly arid Earth， as well as the potential for life beyond it.

阿塔卡馬沙漠系世界上最干燥的非極地沙漠。這里處處顯露出生機(jī)：有每3到10年盛開一次的花朵，有依附其生存的昆蟲和鳥類，還有在該地區(qū)嚴(yán)酷而極其干旱的核心區(qū)繁衍生息的微生物。其中不少微生物提供了在日益干旱的地球上生存的密碼，以及地外可能有生命存在的線索。

Land of extremes

極端之境

The 600-mile-long Atacama is wedged between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains， both of which shield the deserts core from precipitation2. Its nearly 50 times drier than Death Valley， and some weather stations here have yet to record a drop of rain.

600英里長的阿塔卡馬沙漠，仿佛楔子插在太平洋和安第斯山脈之間——這兩者像盾牌阻斷了沙漠核心區(qū)的降水。這里比死亡谷還要干燥近50倍，沙漠中有些氣象站迄今未曾記錄過一滴降雨。

In the past 40 years， the Atacama has seen an estimated 15 superblooms， according to the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. The phenomenon typically occurs between September and mid-November （the Southern Hemispheres spring）. They often follow El Ni?os warm weather; winters heavy rains strip the protective coat from dormant seeds， which leads to their blossoming. The magnitude of Octobers bloom surprised scientists， since it occurred after the lower-than-usual temperatures of La Ni?a.

據(jù)智利天主教大學(xué)估算，阿塔卡馬地區(qū)在過去40年里出現(xiàn)了15 次“超級盛開”的花海。這通常出現(xiàn)在9月到11月中旬（南半球的春季）?！俺壥㈤_”經(jīng)常隨著厄爾尼諾帶來的溫暖天氣而發(fā)生；豐沛的冬雨剝離了休眠種子的保護(hù)層，使之開花。此次10月綻放的規(guī)模頗令科學(xué)家感到驚訝，因?yàn)樗l(fā)生在低于常溫的拉尼娜現(xiàn)象之后。

We still have much to learn about Chiles superbloom. According to a 2022 study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution， little is known about the eco-evolutionary process that desierto florido （flowering desert） triggers， such as how the plants have evolved to guarantee pollination3 during the rare and short blooming period.

智利的“超級盛開”仍有諸多有待研究的問題。根據(jù) 2022 年發(fā)表在《生態(tài)學(xué)與進(jìn)化前沿》上的一份研究報(bào)告，人們對鮮花盛開的沙漠引發(fā)的生態(tài)進(jìn)化過程所知甚微。比如，植物如何進(jìn)化到可以確保在罕有且短暫的開花期內(nèi)成功授粉。

The new park will lie near Chiles northern coast， between the towns of Copiapó and Vallenar， says Verónica Kunze， undersecretary of tourism for the Chilean government.

智利旅游部次長維羅妮卡·昆策介紹，新公園將坐落于智利北部海岸附近，位于兩座小城科皮亞波和巴耶納爾之間。

In addition to its blooms， the park will give travelers a chance to explore the Atacamas craggy4 southern coast， where peacock-blue waters shimmer. For astronomy fans， Atacamas lustrous night skies give visitors rare peeks into the galaxy. “As long as you head to remote places， like Desierto Florido National Park， youll have fantastic stargazing，” says Timothy Dhalleine， guest engagement manager for Cascada Travel， a Chilean adventure outfitter.

除了鮮花之外，去公園的游客還有機(jī)會探訪阿塔卡馬南部峻峭的海岸，觀賞那里閃閃發(fā)光的孔雀藍(lán)海水。阿塔卡馬璀璨的夜空也能讓天文迷一睹罕見的銀河系。智利瀑布旅行社（一家探險(xiǎn)旅行用品供應(yīng)商）的客戶互動經(jīng)理蒂莫西·達(dá)萊尼說：“只要您去往像花海沙漠國家公園這樣的偏遠(yuǎn)地區(qū)，就能收獲美妙的觀星體驗(yàn)?！?/p>

A link between Earth and Mars

地球與火星之間的紐帶

While preserving these blooms is important for the regions ecosystems， Chilean microbiologist Cristina Dorador says protections should extend to the critical species we cant see—microorganisms.

智利微生物學(xué)家克里斯蒂娜·多拉多表示，雖然對該地區(qū)生態(tài)系統(tǒng)而言，保護(hù)這些花朵很重要，但保護(hù)措施還應(yīng)延伸到肉眼看不見的極危種——微生物。

In the northern deserts hyperarid core， microorganisms get savvy. They nestle inside rocks and survive off minuscule water droplets from overnight fog. “Its a microhabitat; theres a whole ecosystem inside a rock，” Dorador says. These microscopic adaptations can teach us a lot—including lessons about life on the red planet5.

在北部沙漠極度干旱的核心區(qū)，微生物變得聰明起來。它們龜縮在巖石中，靠夜間霧中的微小水滴生存。“這是一個(gè)微棲息地；一塊巖石內(nèi)部就有一個(gè)完整的生態(tài)系統(tǒng)?！倍嗬嗾f。此類微觀適應(yīng)現(xiàn)象對我們富于教益——包括有關(guān)“紅色星球”上生命的啟示。

The Atacama cores crusty6 salt flats and rugged valleys dont just look Martian; in a way， they are. “The soil chemistry is quite similar，” says Dorador. Thats why astrobiologists research Atacamas highly adaptable species to understand if life could exist elsewhere in the universe.

阿塔卡馬核心區(qū)的硬殼鹽灘和崎嶇的山谷不僅看起來像火星上的；在某種程度上，它們就是火星地貌?！巴寥阑瘜W(xué)性質(zhì)非常相似?！倍嗬嗾f。這就是為什么天體生物學(xué)家可以通過研究阿塔卡馬的高度適應(yīng)性物種，來了解生命是否可能存在于宇宙的其他地方。

“In the Atacama， you can study the extreme of what at least Earth life can adapt to in terms of managing water，” says Michael Meyer， lead scientist for NASAs Mars Exploration program. Understanding the Atacamas microscopic life forms has helped NASA decide where to send its Mars rovers， including Perseverances 2021 landing in the Jezero Crater， once an ancient river delta. “We know water was there once upon a time，” Meyer says.

“在阿塔卡馬，你可以研究在應(yīng)對缺水方面地球生命至少能適應(yīng)的極端情況?！泵绹鴩液娇蘸教炀郑∟ASA）火星探索計(jì)劃的首席科學(xué)家邁克爾·邁耶說。了解阿塔卡馬的微觀生命形式幫助NASA確定了將其火星探測器送往何處，包括毅力號2021年在耶澤羅隕擊坑著陸，那里曾經(jīng)是古老的河流三角洲?！拔覀冎滥抢镌?jīng)有水?！边~耶說。

Studies of the red planet and the Atacama help us do more than predict life in the cosmos. “Understanding life in a desert environment allows us to prepare for the future，” says Rodrigo Gutiérrez， a systems biologist studying survival mechanisms of microorganisms and plants in the desert.

研究火星和阿塔卡馬，不僅僅是幫助我們預(yù)測宇宙中的生命?！傲私馍衬h(huán)境中的生命可以讓我們?yōu)槲磥碜龊脺?zhǔn)備。”研究沙漠中微生物和植物生存機(jī)制的系統(tǒng)生物學(xué)家羅德里格·古鐵雷斯說。

With the Earth becoming increasingly drought-ridden—and more than a hundred countries facing desertification—Gutiérrez hopes to find crop-survival strategies in the Atacama. He and a group of scientists have analyzed dozens of plant species in the desert core， including those similar to legumes， to understand how the flora survive.

隨著地球越來越干旱——一百多個(gè)國家面臨荒漠化——古鐵雷斯希望在阿塔卡馬找到作物生存策略。他和一組科學(xué)家分析了沙漠核心區(qū)的數(shù)十種植物，包括那些類似于豆科的植物，以了解它們的存活機(jī)制。

Protecting the deserts flora and fauna7

保護(hù)沙漠中的動植物群

Most of Chiles protected areas are in Patagonia， including the newly added 10 million acres of parkland to create Patagonia National Park in 2018.

智利的大部分保護(hù)區(qū)都位于巴塔哥尼亞，包括2018年為創(chuàng)建巴塔哥尼亞國家公園而新增的1000萬英畝公園用地。

The Atacama enjoys just a fraction of this protection—both from the government and， according to Dorador， international conservation organizations. “People have this view of the desert that theres nothing here to protect.”

多拉多稱，保護(hù)既來自政府，也來自國際保護(hù)組織，對阿塔卡馬的保護(hù)只占其中一小部分?！皩τ谏衬?，人們覺得這里沒有什么要保護(hù)的?！?/p>

But a new Chilean government and a recent push for northern Chile protections give Atacama conservationists hope.

但新一屆智利政府和最近對該國北部地區(qū)的保護(hù)舉措，給阿塔卡馬環(huán)保主義者帶來了希望。

According to Kunze， the Council of Ministers for Sustainability has already approved three additional protected areas up north， including Iquiques Oasis de Niebla Punta Gruesa Nature Sanctuary， designed to protect the threatened copao de Iquique cactus species in Atacama. The other two will lie in the Coquimbo region， just south of the desert， where theyll also guard at-risk species.

根據(jù)昆策的說法，可持續(xù)發(fā)展部長理事會已批準(zhǔn)北部新增三個(gè)保護(hù)區(qū)，其中包括伊基克的大角霧綠洲自然保護(hù)區(qū)，旨在保護(hù)阿塔卡馬受威脅的伊基克椰子仙人掌物種。另外兩個(gè)將位于沙漠南部的科金博地區(qū)，保護(hù)那里的瀕危物種。

“When we talk about biodiversity， people think about the Amazon or green areas. Theyre， of course， important，” Dorador says. “But we also have to think about deserts. This type of life is showing another way of evolution on Earth.”

“當(dāng)我們談?wù)撋锒鄻有詴r(shí)，人們會想到亞馬孫雨林或綠地。當(dāng)然，它們很重要?！倍嗬嗾f，“但我們也必須考慮沙漠。沙漠生命展示了地球上的另一種進(jìn)化方式?！?/p>