TED演讲:树木之间如何交流(3)
Trees in real forests might also share information below ground.
在真正的森林中，树木可能还会在地下交流信息。
But this was really controversial, and some people thought I was crazy,
但这个想法其实挺有争议的，一些人觉得我疯了，
and I had a really hard time getting research funding.
所以我筹集科研经费的那段日子真的很艰难。
But I persevered, and I eventually conducted some experiments deep in the forest, 25 years ago.
但我坚持了下来，而且我最终在森林的深处成功做出了一些实验，那是在25年前。
I grew 80 replicates of three species: paper birch, Douglas fir, and western red cedar.
那时我种了三种树，一共80棵：有纸皮桦、花旗松和西部红杉。
I figured the birch and the fir would be connected in a belowground web, but not the cedar.
我认为纸皮桦和花旗松在地下的网络中应该是能交流的，但是西部红杉应该是不行的。
It was in its own other world.
西部红杉比较“与世隔绝”。
And I gathered my apparatus, and I had no money, so I had to do it on the cheap.
我收拾起我的设备仪器，我那时没钱啊，所以我决定得省着点。
So I went to Canadian Tire — and I bought some plastic bags and duct tape and shade cloth,
所以我去了加拿大轮胎公司——我买了一些塑料袋、一些布基胶带和遮光布，
a timer, a paper suit, a respirator.
一个计时器、一件纸套装和一个呼吸器。
And then I borrowed some high-tech stuff from my university:
然后我又从我的大学借了一些高科技的东西：
a Geiger counter, a scintillation counter, a mass spectrometer, microscopes.
一个盖革计数器、一个闪烁计数器、一个质谱仪和几个显微镜。
And then I got some really dangerous stuff:
然后我又拿了一些非常危险的东西：
syringes full of radioactive carbon-14 carbon dioxide gas
几支充满了放射性碳14的二氧化碳气体的注射器，
and some high pressure bottles of the stable isotope carbon-13 carbon dioxide gas.
和几个高压气瓶，里面充满了稳定性同位素碳13的二氧化碳气体。
But I was legally permitted.
不过我这么做是合法的哦。
Oh, and I forgot some stuff, important stuff: the bug spray, the bear spray, the filters for my respirator.
哦对了，我还忘说了几样东西，很重要的东西：喷雾杀虫剂、防熊喷雾剂和我呼吸器的过滤网。
三毛说“如果有来生，要做一棵树，站成永恒，没有悲伤的姿势：一半在尘土里安详，一半在空中飞扬；一半散落阴凉，一半沐浴阳光。非常沉默非常骄傲，从不依靠从不寻找。”但是你知道吗？其实大树并不沉默。在地下存在着另外一个世界，它们使得无数的大树可以彼此交流，一片森林表现的像一个整体。它们是如何做到的呢？来一起且听树语。