九乡新闻网解密潘森是卧底:巴基斯坦百万蜘蛛用蛛网包裹大树
来源：百度文库 编辑：九乡新闻网 时间：2024/04/29 02:38:52
2010年7月，巴基斯坦西北部地区遭遇了严重洪灾，近五分之一的国土被洪水淹没，死亡人数接近2千，2千万人流离失所。但人类并非是唯一受影响的群体，动物如蜘蛛也不得不逃往高出躲避洪水。数百万蜘蛛爬上大树，由于洪水迟迟没有减退，于是大树就成了蜘蛛之家，由此而产生出奇妙的结果：整棵大树被厚厚的蜘蛛网所覆盖。因祸得福的是，英国国际开发部报告说，蜘蛛上树地区的传播疟疾的蚊子数量低于预期，洪水本来会助长疟疾传播。
Millions of Spiders in Pakistan Encase Entire Trees in Webs
- By Wired UK
- March 30, 2011 |
- 2:45 pm
By Duncan Geere, Wired UK
The unprecedented flooding in Pakistan in the latter half of 2010 disrupted the lives of 20 million people, but it also affected the country’s arachnid population.
With more than a fifth of the country submerged, millions of spiders climbed into trees to escape the rising floodwaters. The water took so long to recede, the trees became covered in a cocoon ofspiderwebs. The result is an eerie, alien panorama, with any vegetation covered in a thick mass of webbing. (You can see images from the region in the gallery linked below.)
However, the unusual phenomenon may be a blessing in disguise. Britain’s department for international development reports that areas where the spiders have scaled the trees have seen far fewer malaria-spreading mosquitos than might be expected, given the prevalence of stagnant, standing water.
The agency is providing aid to the communities affected by the disaster, including safe drinking water, health care, food and shelter. To reduce the population’s long-term dependence on that aid, the government agency is now offering wheat seeds and tools to farmers, and jobs and skills training for those in rural areas. However, reconstruction in the worst-hit areas is expected to take many years.
See more images with the original story on Wired UK.
Image: U.K. Department for International Development