第1901期:Deforestation attracts black rats

While black rats have spread rapidly throughout the world over the past 400 years, they've tended to avoid mature forests, disliking the leafy floors which are noisy for these rodents to run through.

虽然黑鼠在过去 400 年来在世界各地迅速蔓延，但它们倾向于避开成熟的森林，不喜欢绿叶茂盛的地板，因为这些地板对于这些啮齿类动物来说会很吵。

Now researchers have found that the clearing of rainforests in the developing world could be speeding the spread of these black creatures.

现在研究人员发现，发展中国家雨林的砍伐可能会加速这些黑色生物的传播。

In tests in Borneo, scientists found that fallen trees contained more insects and provided better cover for these rats.

在婆罗洲的测试中，科学家发现倒下的树木含有更多昆虫，并为这些老鼠提供了更好的掩护。

The authors are concerned that this invasion will be bad news for other species, including nesting birds and small mammals.

作者担心这种入侵对于其他物种来说是个坏消息，包括筑巢的鸟类和小型哺乳动物。

词汇表

throughout 遍及，到处

tended 趋向于，倾向于
rodents 老鼠，啮齿类动物
clearing 清除
provided 提供了
bad news 坏消息
mammals 哺乳动物