___1___. And you shouldn’t judge a species by its place of origin. So say ecologists in a commentary in the journal Nature. [Link to come.] They argue that conservationists should assess organisms based on their impact on the local environment, rather than simply whether they’re native.

When you hear the phrase “non-native species” you no doubt ___2___ an image of an invasive animal or plant that’s pushing out the native species and ___3___ the local ecology—like zebra mussels in the Great Lakes or cane toads in Australia. But Mark Davis of Macalaster College in Minnesota and his colleagues see things differently. They say that being indigenous doesn’t grant a species special rights to inhabit an ecosystem. Or mean that its presence is good for the environment. The insect currently thought to kill more trees than any other in America is the native mountain pine beetle. And many invaders actually boost biodiversity, not ___4___ it.

As climate change and urbanization continue to reshape the ecological landscape, more species will leave their homelands—making the distinction between resident and alien ___5___. So, ask not where a species comes from. But whether it belongs.
【视听版科学小组荣誉出品】
You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. conjure up wreaking havoc on decimate a moot point
以貌取人不可，以“源”取“物”不当。《自然》杂志中刊载的某篇评论中生态学家如是说。他们认为自然保护主义者们应当从外来物种对当地环境的影响来考虑，而非单纯从是否是当地物种这一角度进行评估。 一听到“非本地物种”，人们的第一反应肯定是某种对本地物种及生态环境造成威胁的外来动植物——比如五大湖中斑马贻贝的以及澳大利亚的甘蔗蟾蜍。但来自明尼苏达州马卡莱斯特学院的马克戴维斯和他的同事们并不这么认为。他们的观点是，当地物种并没有什么特权，而且它们的存在也并不一定对当地环境有利。美国境内对树木破坏最大的不是外来物种，就是当地的山松甲虫。而很大一部分的“外来物种”事实上丰富了生物多样性，而并非起到破坏作用。 气候变化以及城市化时刻影响着生态景观，未来会有更多的物种离开本土——这使得区分当地物种和外来物种难上加难。所以嘛，不要问“物”从哪里来，适不适合当地环境才是关键～