
The World Beneath Our Feet. By Frank Ashwood. Random House; 240 pages; $30. Hodder Press; £25
《我们脚下的世界》。弗兰克·阿什伍德著。兰登书屋;240页;30美元。霍德出版社;25英镑。
Just as(正如) there are charismatic(有魅力的;引人注目的) species, there are charismatic habitats. Indeed, the two often overlap. Rainforests have beautiful birds and butterflies. African savannah(稀树草原)s are filled with elephants and lions.
正如有些物种魅力十足,有些栖息地也同样引人注目。事实上,两者常常重叠。雨林中有美丽的鸟类和蝴蝶,非洲稀树草原上则遍布大象和狮子。
Then there are the uncharismatic habitats with uncharismatic species. Mites, centipedes(蜈蚣) and millipedes(马陆), anyone? Slime moulds(黏菌) and woodlice(潮虫)? And nematodes(线虫), nematodes, nematodes. These unloved critters(小生物;小动物), along with(连同;以及) countless earthworms, are denizens(居民;栖息者) of what is probably the least charismatic habitat of all: soil.
还有一些毫无魅力的栖息地,住着同样不起眼的物种。螨虫、蜈蚣、马陆,有人感兴趣吗?黏菌和潮虫呢?还有线虫、线虫、线虫。这些不受待见的小生物,连同无数蚯蚓,正是那个大概最没有魅力的栖息地——土壤——的居民。