19世纪后期北美大蝗灾述论

On the Great Locust Plague in North America in the Late 19th Century

蝗灾是人类农业史上由来已久的问题,而历史上彻底战胜蝗灾的事例只有一次:19世纪下半叶,由落基山岩蝗造成的大规模蝗灾席卷北美大陆,严重影响美国西部拓荒者的生产生活,农业损失巨大,人民流离失所;仅30余年后的20世纪初,这一物种就离奇走向灭绝,彻底销声匿迹。蝗灾的发生不仅与蝗虫的迁徙习性有关,也与改变自然环境的人类农业活动联系紧密;而落基山岩蝗这一物种的灭绝更是与人类的垦殖直接相关。

Locust plague was a long-standing problem in the history of agriculture.The only complete defeat of locust was in the late 19th century:Large-scale locust infestations caused by Rocky Mountain Locusts(Melanoplus spretus)swept across the North American continent,seriously affecting the production and life of pioneers in the western United States,causing huge losses in agriculture and displacement of people.However,only 30 years later,at the beginning of the 20th century,the species of Rocky Mountain Locust went extinct and disappeared completely.The occurrence of locust plagues was not only related to the migratory habits of locusts,but also closely related to the human agricultural activities that change the natural environment.However,the extinction of the species of Rocky Mountain Locust was directly related to human’s reclamation.