Plant Defenses

Plant Defenses. Written by Allison Green.

植物的防御本领。 作者：艾莉森·格林。

Introduction. Animals have many ways to defend themselves and stay safe. Some have sharp claws, teeth, or horns. Others change color or hide in a shell. Some animals simply run away from danger. Plants can't bite, fight, or run away. However, they have many other ways to protect themselves.

引言： 动物有很多自我防御、保障安全的办法。 有些动物长着锋利的爪子，牙齿或者角。 还有些会变色，或者躲进壳里。 有些动物干脆直接逃离危险。 植物没法撕咬、打斗，也没法逃跑。 不过它们有很多其他保护自己的办法。

thorns, prickles, and spines. Some plants grow thorns on their branches. Animals that try to eat those plants can get cut or scratched. Some trees have long thorns that keep animals away.

尖刺、皮刺和叶刺。 有些植物的枝条上会长尖刺。 想要啃食这些植物的动物可能会被割伤或者划伤。 有些树长着长长的尖刺，能把动物赶跑。

Roses and some other plants have prickles on their stems. Prickles are different from thorns. Prickles grow out of a plant's soft stem. Most often, prickles grow on small shrubs and flowering plants. Thorns usually grow on trees or large shrubs.

玫瑰和其他一些植物的茎上长着皮刺。 皮刺和尖刺不一样。 皮刺是从植物柔软的茎部长出来的。 皮刺大多长在小型灌木和开花植物上。 尖刺通常长在树木或者大型灌木上。

Some plants have spines to defend themselves. Some plants are covered in spines to protect them from being eaten. Spines look and feel like thorns, but they are different.

有些植物长着叶刺来防御天敌。 有些植物浑身长满叶刺，避免自己被吃掉。 叶刺的外观和触感都和尖刺很像，但二者是不同的。

A cactus spine is actually a special kind of leaf. Cactus plants usually live in hot deserts. Regular leaves may dry out in the hot sun, but sunlight and heat bounce off spines.

仙人掌的刺其实是一种特殊的叶子。 仙人掌通常生长在炎热的沙漠里。 普通的叶子在烈日下可能会被晒干， 但阳光和热量会从叶刺上反射出去。