Population Effects Signal Ecologists Isolate S Order Nature

意群训练： In order to understan d the nature o f the ecologist's investigation ，we may think o f the density-dependent effect s on growth parameter s as the “signal” ecologists are trying t o isolate and interpret ，one tha t tends to make the populatio n increase fro m relatively low value s or decreas e from relatively high ones ，while th e density-independent effect s act to produce “noise” in the population dynamics .

标志： /In order to understand the nature of the ecologist's investigation/，we may think of the density-dependent effects (on growth parameters) as the “signal” (that ecologists are trying to isolate and interpret，one that tends to make the population increase from relatively low values or decrease from relatively high ones，） while the density-independent effects act to produce “noise”（in the population dynamics.)

译文： /为了理解生态学家研究的本质/，我们 可以把 d-d（对生长因素的）效果 看作 （生态学家们力图去分离和解释的）“信号” ，（一个倾向于将种群数量从相对较少的值增加或从相对较高的值减少的因素； ）而 d-i因素 起到 （一个在种群数量的动态变化中）产生 “噪音”的作用。

解释： 句子不仅很长，而且有两个地方看上去不舒服：第一，think of...不是很常见，其实think of这个词组就等于consider、imagine，加上后面的as，就是把……认为是……的意思。第二个不习惯的地方是“signal”后面的大段修饰语，不但长度很长，而且在signal后面还省略了一个that ，正常应该是the “signal” that ecologists are trying to isolate and interpret。与以前见过对that的省略不同的是，这次that在句中不是句子的宾语，而是不定式动词的宾语。