植物會思考嗎？

Maggie

植物的種類多種多樣，可以用來描述它們的詞匯也是層出不窮，但除了“美”“茂盛”抑或甚至是“多刺”這幾個我們偶爾會用到的形容詞之外，你可曾把“聰明”這個詞兒和植物聯系到一起？

我們的這些植物朋友“滿腦子葉子”，然而事實證明，我們在獲取它們的大量新知識。其中最驚人的發現就是，有證據表明，植物可以用一套復雜的化合物系統來進行交流。這些分子反應使植物有了一套自我保護的方法，比如通過吸引捕食者去襲擊那些正在大口大口啃食它們身體的蟲子。這些化學信號還會提醒周圍的植物有危險，不管那危險是一只蟲子來襲、一只寄生蟲入侵還是周圍的環境亮起了紅燈。在有些情況下，植物做出的化學反應能產生毒素，令近在咫尺的害蟲動彈不得。此外，受傷的植物還會釋放出化學物質，這就相當于它們在發出無聲的尖叫。

即使植物可以進行所有這些復雜的交流，它們還是沒有可以處理和傳播信息的大腦或中樞神經中心。沒有大腦，植物會思考嗎？從傳統意義上來說是不能的。你永遠也不會和一株植物坐在一起，在大學課堂里聽課或是等待一場求職面試。然而，一些科學家卻認為植物的確能展現出另一種形式的智慧，包括對長遠未來出現的結果進行判斷的能力。

以歐洲的伏牛花為例，這種植物非常容易受到實蠅科果蠅的侵害，因為它會在伏牛花的漿果里產卵。當這些卵孵化出來后，幼蟲就靠吃漿果里的種子為生。這對伏牛花來說顯然是個壞消息，但對果蠅的幼蟲來說也同樣是個壞消息，因為伏牛花這種植物對此能做出十分靈敏的反應。隨著這種寄生蟲站住腳跟，伏牛花會根據內部和外部的情況來估算風險、回想之前的行為。

隨著果實慢慢成了太多幼蟲的家，伏牛花會根據以下幾個因素做出反應。如果這個果實里有兩顆種子且其中一顆受到了寄生蟲的侵擾，那隨后正在發育的幼蟲就會以這個果實里的兩顆種子為食。不過倘若伏牛花終止了受到侵擾的那顆種子的生長，那么種子中的寄生蟲也將死去，另一顆種子從而得救。不過，受到寄生蟲侵擾的果實并不總會終止其種子的生長，而是要取決于果實中有幾顆種子。如果一個果實中僅有一顆種子且這顆種子還受到了寄生蟲的侵害，若是伏牛花終止了種子的生長，那這整個果實就都保不住了。相反，伏牛花似乎能“推測”到幼蟲會自然死亡——這是有可能的，雖然可能性不大，但也總比完全沒有可能強。簡而言之，科學家們推測伏牛花既能預料損失，也能預見風險——通過有選擇地終止被侵擾的那顆種子的生長從而保住另一顆完好無損的種子，或是在終止種子生長無濟于事時讓果實繼續生長。

此外，許多植物還被證明擁有方向感。無論它們被放置時朝什么方向，它們都會讓它們的根須向著下面的土地生長。有些植物還有使用偽裝術的本領，一旦被觸碰就會像是枯萎了一般，對那些想吃它們的動物而言，看起來就沒那么有吸引力了。

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；枝葉

4. revelation [.rev..le..n] n. （尤指出人意料的）被揭示的真相；（驚人的）新發現

5. molecular [m..lekj.l.（r）] adj. 分子的

6. munch [m.nt.] vi. 大聲咀嚼，用力咀嚼（脆的食物）

7. parasite [.p.r.sa.t] n. 寄生生物；寄生蟲

8. clear and present： 迫在眉睫的；就在眼前的

9. well [wel] adv. 完全地；徹底地；全部地

10. barberry [.bɑ.b.r.] n. 小檗屬植物（多刺，開黃花，結紅色酸果，常用作圍籬）；伏牛花

11. tephritid fruit .y： 實蠅科果蠅

12. larva [.lɑ.v.] n. 幼蟲；幼體（復數形式為larvae或larvas）

13. infest [.n.fest] vt. （昆蟲、老鼠等）成群侵擾，大批出沒于

14. abort [..b..t] vt. （因困難或危險）使（活動）終止

15. berry [.beri] n. 漿果

16. intact [.n.t.kt] adj. 完好無損的

17. camouflage [.k.m.flɑ..] n. 偽裝，隱蔽

18. shrivel [..r.vl] vi. 枯萎， 干枯endprint