2019年经济学人 树桩如何无限期存活(2)

 

Exactly why a stump¹'s neighbours dole² out their hard-won nutrients³ in this manner remains⁴ a mystery, but Dr Bader and Dr Leuzinger have ideas.

为什么树桩的邻居们会以这种方式少量发放自己辛苦得来的营养仍是个谜，但Bader和Leuzinger博士有自己的想法。

Biologists know of two ways co-operation between organisms can evolve.

生物学家知道生物体之间有两种合作可以进化。

One is kin⁵ selection, which requires the collaborators to be related (as neighbouring trees of the same species are likely to be)

一种是亲缘选择，要求合作者相互联系（就像邻近的同种树木一样）

and works if sacrifices by one bring disproportionate reproductive benefits to others.

如果一方给另一方带来不成比例的繁殖优势，这种方式就会奏效。

The effect of this is to propagate a collaborator's genes⁶ collaterally⁷,

这种方法的效果是间接地传播合作者的基因

in a way that sociologists might refer to as nepotism⁸, instead of directly from parent to offspring.

在某种程度上，社会学家或许称为裙带关系，而非直接从父母传给后代。

This may be why root connections happen in the first place, but cannot explain their perpetuation⁹,

这或许是根系连接首先发生的原因，但这无法解释它们的存活，

for trying to help a trunkless stump reproduce would be a fool's errand.

因为尝试帮助没有树干的树桩繁殖是徒劳的。

The other route to co-operation is reciprocal altruism¹⁰ of the "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" variety.

另一种合作方式是互惠利他主义，即“你帮我，我帮你”。

This requires a stump's neighbours, which are feeding it, to benefit directly from the arrangement.

这要求树桩附近向它运输营养的邻居直接从这种配植中获益。

The suggestion Dr Bader and Dr Leuzinger make is that they do—

Bader和Leuzinger博士认为它们确实这么做了—

the stump's role being to extend, at minimal¹¹ cost, the root networks of its intact neighbours.

树桩的角色是以最小的代价扩张其完整邻居的根系网络。

From their point of view, that makes keeping the stump alive worthwhile.

从他们的角度来看，这使得树桩的存活是值得的。

If this is what is going on, however, it is a good illustration of the dangers of anthropomorphic terminology¹².

然而，若事实如此，那么这就很好地说明了拟人术语的危险。

The arrangement might look reciprocal to human eyes, because it is keeping the stump alive.

这种配植可能看起来与人类的眼睛是对等的，因为它保持了树桩的活性。

But since the stump cannot reproduce it might as well, in Darwinian terms, be dead anyway,

但既然树桩不能繁殖，用达尔文的话说，它还是有可能会死掉，

for it garners¹³ no evolutionary¹⁴ benefit from its survival. Unless, of course, to go back to the idea of kin selection,

因为它没有从它的生存中获得进化上的好处。当然，除非回到亲缘选择的概念，

the neighbours it is sustaining are its kin and it is rendering¹⁵ nepotistic¹⁶ assistance to them from beyond the grave.

它所扶养的邻居是它的亲戚并且它在死后向它们提供裙带关系的援助。

1 stump   

n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走

参考例句：

• He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
• He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。

2 dole   

n.救济，（失业）救济金；vt.（out）发放，发给

参考例句：

• It's not easy living on the dole.靠领取失业救济金生活并不容易。
• Many families are living on the dole since the strike.罢工以来，许多家庭靠失业救济金度日。

3 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 kin   

n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的

参考例句：

• He comes of good kin.他出身好。
• She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。

6 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

7 collaterally   

担保物； 旁系亲属

参考例句：

• I would rather loan a million dollars on character than on any other collateral in the world. 我若借出100万元，宁愿让别人用人格，而不是别的抵押品作担保。
• Res judicata and collateral estoppel may also limit an agency's discretion. 已决事件和间接禁止翻供的事实恐怕也限制机关的自由裁量权。

8 nepotism   

n.任人唯亲；裙带关系

参考例句：

• The congressman lashed the president for his nepotism.国会议员抨击总统搞裙带关系。
• Many will regard his appointment as the kind of nepotism British banking ought to avoid.很多人会把他的任命看作是英国银行业应该避免的一种裙带关系。

9 perpetuation   

n.永存，不朽

参考例句：

• Are there some on going policies that encourage its perpetuation? 现在是否有一些持续的政策令这会根深蒂固？ 来自互联网
• Does the mental perpetuation exist? 存在心理的永恒吗？ 来自互联网

10 altruism   

n.利他主义，不自私

参考例句：

• An important feature of moral behaviour is altruism.道德行为一个重要特点就是利他主义。
• Altruism is crucial for social cohesion.利他主义对社会的凝聚是至关重要的。

11 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

12 terminology   

n.术语；专有名词

参考例句：

• He particularly criticized the terminology in the document.他特别批评了文件中使用的术语。
• The article uses rather specialized musical terminology.这篇文章用了相当专业的音乐术语。

13 garners   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The seeds rot the garners are laid desolate, the barns aredownthe grain is withered. 种子都在地里腐烂了，没有谷物好储藏；空谷仓都成了废墟。 来自互联网

14 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

15 rendering   

n.表现，描写

参考例句：

• She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
• His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。

16 nepotistic   

adj.重用亲属的；袒护亲戚的；任人唯亲的；裙带关系的

参考例句：

• But Kyrgyzstanis have twice overthrown presidents seen as corrupt, nepotistic and dictatorial. 但是吉尔吉斯斯坦曾两次将腐败，搞裙带关系，独裁的政府推翻。 来自互联网