什么树这么聪明？矮的站前面，高的站后面……

2023-05-04 15:05

在我国海南、广东、广西、福建等地的海岸线上，绵延着这样一片片的树林：它们盘根错节稳如泰山，既能够消浪固土为城市挡住海风保护农田，又能够净化海水和空气，生物固碳缓解气候变暖，因此被称为“海岸卫士”。

这种树很聪明，就像我们人一样。它们像部队的列兵战队，矮的站在前面，高的站在后面。特别是我国南方台风特别多，这些树就像当地村庄的守护神一样，保护着村民。

They are smart, just like humans. Like conscripts in an army formation, shorter ones stand at the front and taller at the back. Especially in the south, where there are many typhoons, they guard the local villages and protect the villagers during the typhoon seasons every year.

明明叶子是绿色的，却有个和外形“南辕北辙”的名字，它就是红树林。红树的表皮富含单宁酸，如果将树皮割开与空气接触，单宁酸氧化后会呈现红色，还可以提取成红色染料。

Mangroves are green, but they are called “red forest”. That’s because their bark is rich in tannic acid. If the surface of the tree is cut, the tannic acid oxidized by the air turns red. It can be extracted and used as a dye.

它们生长在沿海地区，其结构特征经过长期发展适应了环境。它们可以忍受海水侵蚀，强风和海浪冲击。

They grow in coastal areas, and their structural features have developed over a long period to adapt to the environment. They can endure being submerged in seawater and being buffeted by strong winds and waves.

红树林还发展出一系列呼吸根，以克服潮间带土壤缺氧的问题。

Mangrove plants have also developed a range of respiratory roots to overcome the lack of oxygen in intertidal soils.

多种鸟类和海洋生物都生活在红树林里，包括国家重点保护的珍稀濒危物种，比如黑脸琵鹭、黄嘴白鹭、中国鲎、红榄李、水椰等等。

A variety of birds and marine creatures inhabit mangrove swamps, including rare nationally protected species, such as black-faced spoonbills, Chinese egrets, horseshoe crabs, red flower black mangrove, nypa palm and more.

红树的种子从果实中萌芽，坠入泥土便长成一棵小树，就好像哺乳动物怀胎生子。因此红树也被当地人称为“会生小孩的树”。

Mangrove seeds sprout from the fruit. When they fall into the soil, they can grow into trees. It is like mammals giving birth to offspring. Therefore, mangroves are also known by the local people as "trees that give birth to children".

既能净化海水、防风消浪、固碳储碳，又为多种动植物提供了赖以生存的环境、维持着生物多样性，如此看来，红树林真的是又“man”又暖。

As both protectors and matrons, mangroves are both "manly" and warm.

中国是少数几个红树林面积增加的国家之一，建立了一批以红树林为主要保护对象的保护区，其中包括海南东寨港、广西山口、广东湛江、福建漳江口。

China is one of the few countries where the volume of mangrove areas has increased. The country has established a number of protected areas with mangroves as the main object of protection: they include Dongzhai Port in Hainan, the Shankou Mangrove Nature Reserve in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Zhanjiang Mangrove Nature Reserve in Guangdong and the Zhangjiangkou National Mangrove Nature Reserve in Fujian.

更多环境保护的内容，请关注今天中国日报7版见报的红树林图表专版。