《外刊精读》动物也有自己的“民主”

不只人类，动物也有自己的“民主” 今日导读 今年，美国迎来了前所未有的疫情冲击，而示威暴乱更是雪上加霜。在这样一个动荡不安的时期，美国的总统大选也吸引了全世界的目光 ——人们需要决定由谁来领导美国重回正轨。对于人类社会而言，民 主决策和有力的领袖至关重要。不过，民主和选举可并非我们人类的专利，动物世界一样有着自己的“民主”法则。 今天，就让我们一起来看看小动物们的“大选”吧！ 带着问题听讲解 colony 在文中指什么？ 印度跳蚁主要利用身体的哪个部分来打架？ 文中提到的 scepter 象征着什么？ 正文 Animals vote, too: how different species choose a leader 动物也选举：不同物种如何选择首领 Americans are currently deciding who they think will best serve them as leader. While animals don't emerge from polling places with the "I Voted" sticker, they make collective decisions about who's going to take charge,too. 美国人民正在抉择他们心目中的最佳领导人。虽然动物不会带着“我 已投票”的贴纸从投票站里走出来，但是它们也会进行集体决策来选出领导。 Honeybees 蜜蜂 "In honeybees, when a vote happens about when to move a hive from one area to another, it is very much a democracy," says Jennifer Smith, an animal behaviorist at Mills College in Oakland, California. The queen bee takes flight with about half the hive's workforce and settles on a staging spot, perhaps a tree branch. From this vantage point, several hundred worker bee scouts search for an appropriate new abode. “当蜜蜂要将蜂巢从一处迁往另一处时，它们会对此进行‘表决’，过程 相当民主。”詹妮弗·史密斯说，她是加利福尼亚州奥克兰市米尔斯学院的一位动物行为学家。迁巢时，蜂后会带领约半数的工蜂飞到一处“中转地”（比如一根树枝），数百只侦察蜂从这个“瞭望点”出发，寻找理想的新巢址。 When a scout finds one, it returns to the group and performs a "waggle dance". The more a bee shakes its stuff, the more promising it thinks the site it explored is. If the bee's dance is vigorous enough, other scouts will locate and assess the location. 当一只侦察蜂有了一处发现，它会飞回蜂群并表演一种“摇摆舞”。它 的腹部摇摆得越厉害，说明它越看好自己发现的新址。如果它的舞蹈足够热烈，其他侦察蜂就会定位前往该处，进行一番考察。 Indian jumping ants 印度跳蚁 Indian jumping ants live in colonies in which individuals have clearly delineated roles. Worker ants build nests and keep them clean while a queen lays eggs to maintain the population. But when an Indian jumping ant queen dies, all hell breaks loose: prospective leaders face off in antennal fencing duels. 印度跳蚁群居在一起，个体分工十分明确。工蚁负责筑巢和清洁蚁巢， 蚁后则负责产卵来延续种群。但倘若印度跳蚁的蚁后死亡，局面就会乱套：领导候选者们随即开始用触角进行数场“剑击决斗”。 During this battle royale ants scuffle with other for months of heated conflict, and about a dozen queen candidates rise to the top. This new group picks up the late queen's scepter, turning to their newfound role as egg-layingmachines. 跳蚁们在这场大混战中竞相角力，激烈的斗争将维持数月。最后，十 几只蚁后候选者从中胜出。这群新“蚁后”会接下已故蚁后的权杖，承担起新的职责，成为产卵机器。