對于終生伴侶的物種來說，愛很重要

對于終生伴侶的物種來說，愛很重要

Flowers and dressing up usually are part of the dating stage of a relationship. Once there's a commitment, those displays of courtship might disappear.

鮮花和打扮通常是戀愛關(guān)系中約會階段的一部分。一旦有了承諾，那些求愛的表現(xiàn)就會消失。

The male zebra finch's flashy red beak is attractive to his mate. (Photo: Wang LiQiang/Shutterstock)

But a new study finds that some birds and other species that often mate for life sometimes continue these affectionate displays long after they decide to stay together. When the males continue to show off their dance moves and bright colors, the females become more invested in taking care of the relationship and their offspring.

但一項(xiàng)新的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，一些鳥類和其他物種經(jīng)常終生交配，有時(shí)在它們決定呆在一起很久之后仍會繼續(xù)這種深情的表現(xiàn)。當(dāng)雄性繼續(xù)炫耀它們的舞步和鮮艷的顏色時(shí)，雌性會更加投入地照顧它們的關(guān)系和后代。

"Many bird researchers can tell a story like the experience I once had in the U.K. I caught a female goldfinch, placed her in a bird bag and carried it back to the banding station. All the way back to the station, her mate followed, calling," University Chicago biologist Trevor Price, senior author of the study, said in a statement. "He waited impatiently in a nearby tree as I banded the female, and when I released her, the pair flew off together in close company, twittering. This kind of thing happens in many other species, too, so forming a strong pair bond and emotional attachments between a male and female is evidently not only a feature of humans."

“許多鳥類研究人員都能講述一個(gè)故事，就像我在英國的一次經(jīng)歷一樣。我抓了一只雌性金翅雀，把它放在一個(gè)鳥袋里，然后把它帶回了捆扎站。在返回車站的路上，她的伴侶一直跟在后面，并打電話給她，”該研究的資深作者、芝加哥大學(xué)的生物學(xué)家特雷弗·普萊斯在一份聲明中說。我?guī)湍侵荒感尚山壣蠋ё樱诟浇囊豢脴渖喜荒蜔┑氐戎?。?dāng)我把它放開時(shí)，它倆嘰嘰喳喳地結(jié)伴飛走了。這種事情在很多其他物種中也會發(fā)生，所以在雄性和雌性之間形成牢固的伴侶關(guān)系和情感依戀顯然不僅僅是人類的特征。”

As part of that strong bonding, some males continue to keep their mates interested using fancy shows of affection. Like zebra finches.

作為這種親密關(guān)系的一部分，一些雄性繼續(xù)用花哨的情感表達(dá)方式來保持配偶的興趣。像斑馬雀。

Zebra finches are monogamous and often stay with their chosen mates for life, according to the National Audubon Society. Closely bonded, they share housekeeping and parenting tasks, though that doesn't stop them from having occasional flings with other finches.

據(jù)美國奧杜邦協(xié)會稱，斑胸草雀是一夫一妻制的，它們通常會和自己選擇的伴侶生活在一起。它們關(guān)系密切，共同承擔(dān)家務(wù)和育兒任務(wù)，但這并不妨礙它們偶爾與其他雀類嬉戲。

The male zebra finch has a red beak. If his beak is especially bright, it may elevate his mate's hormone levels. That could result in the female laying an extra egg. That flashy display is good for the male, resulting in more offspring, even though it ends up causing extra work for his mate, who takes care of the babies.

雄性斑胸草雀有一個(gè)紅色的喙。如果它的喙特別亮，可能會提高配偶的荷爾蒙水平。這可能導(dǎo)致雌性多生一個(gè)蛋。這種華麗的展示對雄性來說是有好處的，會產(chǎn)生更多的后代，即使它最終會給照顧嬰兒的配偶帶來額外的工作。

He could increase his chances of procreating by strutting before many females. Instead, he often keeps his mate invested in the relationship by wooing her — and only her — with his good looks. Researchers point out that some fish species do the same thing.

他可以通過在許多女性面前昂首闊步來增加繁殖的機(jī)會。相反，他經(jīng)常用他的美貌來吸引他的伴侶——而且只吸引她——從而讓他的伴侶投入到這段關(guān)系中。研究人員指出，一些魚類也會這樣做。

This loyalty can be hard to rationalize, but it's relatively common, say researchers, who explained their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

研究人員在《美國國家科學(xué)院院刊》雜志上解釋了他們的發(fā)現(xiàn)。

If the males of these loyal pairs didn't show off, then perhaps their mates would lay fewer eggs, which isn't good for either of them.

如果這些忠誠的雄性沒有表現(xiàn)出來，那么它們的配偶可能會生更少的蛋，這對它們倆都不好。