中文导读

橙黑相间的黑脉金斑蝶每年秋天从加拿大南部与美国北部飞向墨西哥中部越冬，全程可达约 3000 英里，但它们白天停在何处觅食、夜里栖于何处，长期难以精确绘制。美联社 2026 年 11 月 3 日的报道介绍，国家野生动物联合会等机构正用仅约一滴水重的太阳能无线电标签跟踪个体；今年已有近 1750 只被标记，公众也可通过 Project Monarch Science 应用查看轨迹。早期结果提示犹他西线与经佛罗里达、墨西哥湾进入墨西哥等路径，并提醒东部种群自 20 世纪 90 年代中期已下降逾 80%。阅读时可留意 because、yet、if 如何连接原因、边界与条件，以及 may、help、says 如何保留研究阶段的不确定。

正文

When orange-and-black monarch butterflies cross North America each fall, scientists still ask a basic question: where do they stop to feed and rest? New reporting from the Associated Press on 3 November 2026 describes how tiny solar-powered tags are starting to answer that question along the long southern route.

本段译文

当橙黑相间的黑脉金斑蝶每年秋天横跨北美时，科学家仍在问一个基本问题：它们在哪里停留觅食和休息？美联社 2026 年 11 月 3 日的新报道描述了微型太阳能标签如何开始沿着漫长南迁路线回答这一问题。

Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñón, a senior scientist with the National Wildlife Federation, helps attach light radio tags in Texas. A large share of eastern monarchs pass through a narrow corridor known as the Texas funnel on their way to winter forests of oyamel fir trees in central Mexico. The journey can stretch about 3,000 miles from southern Canada and the northern United States. For years, researchers could not clearly map daily flight distance or overnight roosts. Tags developed by Cellular Tracking Technologies now weigh about as much as a drop of water and cost around 200 dollars each. If trained staff place them correctly, Quiñonez-Piñón says the butterflies remain safe.

本段译文

国家野生动物联合会资深科学家雷贝卡·基尼奥内斯-皮尼翁（Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñón）在得克萨斯帮助安装轻型无线电标签。很大一部分东部种群会经过被称为“得克萨斯漏斗”的狭窄走廊，前往墨西哥中部冷杉（oyamel fir）冬季栖息林。这段旅程可从加拿大南部和美国北部延伸约 3000 英里。多年来，研究者无法清楚绘制每日飞行距离或夜间栖息点。Cellular Tracking Technologies 开发的标签如今大约只有一滴水重，每个约 200 美元。基尼奥内斯-皮尼翁说，如果受过训练的人员正确安装，蝴蝶可以保持安全。

Nearly 1,750 monarchs have received such tags this year. Public users can follow individual insects through the free Project Monarch Science app, which works with phones and a wide network of wildlife receivers. Early results already challenge old assumptions. Scientists have recorded a butterfly from Utah, west of the Rocky Mountains, joining eastern monarchs in central Mexico. Others flew down the Eastern Seaboard to Florida, crossed the Gulf of Mexico, and continued into Mexico in larger numbers than earlier studies showed.

本段译文

今年已有近 1750 只黑脉金斑蝶贴上此类标签。公众可通过免费的 Project Monarch Science 应用跟踪个体昆虫；该应用与手机及广泛的野生动物接收网络配合使用。早期结果已挑战旧有假设。科学家记录到一只来自落基山脉以西犹他州的蝴蝶，加入了墨西哥中部的东部种群。另一些则沿东海岸飞到佛罗里达，越过墨西哥湾，并以高于以往研究的数量继续进入墨西哥。

The work matters because eastern monarch numbers have fallen by more than 80 percent since the mid-1990s, and western counts by about 95 percent. Pesticides threaten milkweed, the only plant where monarchs lay eggs and caterpillars feed. Climate change can also confuse migration cues when northern areas stay hot too long, according to Tierra Curry of the Center for Biological Diversity. Drought can remove nectar and water along the path.

本段译文

这项工作之所以重要，是因为自 20 世纪 90 年代中期以来，东部种群数量下降超过 80%，西部约下降 95%。杀虫剂威胁乳草（milkweed）——黑脉金斑蝶产卵及毛虫唯一的食物植物。生物多样性中心的蒂埃拉·柯里（Tierra Curry）指出，气候变化也可能使迁徙信号混乱，因为北方地区过热过久。干旱还会沿途夺走花蜜与水源。

Quiñonez-Piñón argues that the famous insect draws attention to broader pollinator loss. Healthy ecosystems and human food systems both depend on insects that move pollen between plants. Tracking stopover habitats may help protect the trees, flowers and water sources monarchs need before those places disappear. The study is still early, and tags cover only a small share of the population. Yet clearer maps of real routes give conservation groups a more practical target than guesswork alone.

本段译文

基尼奥内斯-皮尼翁认为，这种著名昆虫能把公众注意力引向更广泛的传粉者减少。健康的生态系统与人类食物体系都依赖在植物间传递花粉的昆虫。追踪中途停歇栖息地，或许有助于在这些树木、花朵与水源消失前加以保护。研究仍处早期，标签只覆盖种群中很小一部分。不过，更清晰的真实路线图，能给保护组织提供比单纯猜测更切实的目标。

新闻来源

• AP News · Tiny trackers reveal monarch butterflies’ big journeys (Dorany Pineda)
• PA / London Now · Tiny trackers on monarch butterflies to reveal secrets of 3,000-mile migration
• Project Monarch · First tagged monarchs of fall 2026 reach Mexico (6 Oct 2026)

✳更多文章 →