How a flying fox keeps his harem 狐蝠如何维持自己的“后宫”
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2009-08-20 03:26 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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Researchers have discovered a secret of sexual success for flying foxes.

研究人员发现狐蝠性成功的秘密。

Male grey-headed flying foxes maintain harems of females
Male grey-headed flying foxes maintain harems of females

Males with relatively1 high levels of testosterone in their blood are better able to maintain their "harem(闺房)" of choosy females, says a study.

The authors report in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters that this link is only evident during breeding season.

A better understanding of the reproduction and behaviour of these bats, say biologists, could help efforts to conserve2 them.

The team studied grey-headed flying foxes, which are fruit-eating bats that live in colonies of up to 20,000 animals.

"This species is in decline," said lead author Stefan Klose from the University of Ulm in Germany. "And flying foxes disperse3(传播,散开) seeds so they're really important for ecosystems4."

Dr Klose and his colleagues studied a colony of the flying foxes in New South Wales, Australia.

"In these colonies you see flying foxes hanging everywhere - it looks absolutely random5, but that's not the case," Dr Klose told BBC News.

"Every metre of branch that you see is someone's territory. And within that [male's] territory, there is a group of females. The size of that group depends on the attractiveness of the male."

Dr Klose and his team counted the number of females in each male's harem then captured a group of males using a special device to remove the bats directly from their branches.

"We kept the males in captivity6 for three days, and during that time we took a blood sample to determine the testosterone levels," explained Dr Klose.

"Then we released the males back into the colony and watched where they went."

During the mating period, males with high testosterone were better able to reclaim7 their harems.

"This was when all the matings took place - when it really mattered," said Dr Klose.

He explained that one of the roles of testosterone, which is the primary male sex hormone8, is the mediation9(调停,仲裁) of aggression10. So a male with high testosterone levels is likely to have more confrontations11(对审,面对) with other males.

"If you can afford high testosterone because you're strong and you're very healthy, then you're able to reap the benefits," explained Dr Klose. "So you will potentially get a lot of females in your territory and have a lot of offspring."

He also suggested that a larger territory might be a "quality indicator12" to females.

"It's all about female choice," Dr Klose said. "So you could imagine that the females think that if a male is able to defend a large territory in an attractive location, he must really be a hotshot(能手)."

He also stressed that the work could inform conservation efforts, as there are often attempts to relocate flying fox colonies away from residential13 areas.

"People use smoke and noise to drive them away, because they perceive(觉察,感觉) them as noisy or stinky(恶臭的)," said Dr Klose. "But when we released our males, all of them returned to their colonies."

Ignacio Moore, an animal behaviour scientist from Virginia Tech in the US, who was not involved in this study described it as "a nice example of basic physiology14 and behaviour being useful for conservation".

"The implication is that relocating the animals during the breeding season will not work, as they will simply return," he told BBC News.

"Suitable habitat must be made available before the breeding season for the animals to inhabit."

Elizabeth Atkins-Regan, a biologist from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, pointed15 out that age could also be a factor in the animals' ability to keep their harems.

"Perhaps older males have higher testosterone and also are more successful at regaining16 harems," she said.

"It's hard to know whether the higher testosterone is the cause of the greater success, or whether success is due to something else like experience. I very much hope the authors will continue this research to find out whether there is a causal relationship."



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 relatively bkqzS3     
adv.比较...地,相对地
参考例句:
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
2 conserve vYRyP     
vt.保存,保护,节约,节省,守恒,不灭
参考例句:
  • He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
  • Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力,你会用得着的!
3 disperse ulxzL     
vi.使分散;使消失;vt.分散;驱散
参考例句:
  • The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
  • The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。
4 ecosystems 94cb0e40a815bea1157ac8aab9a5380d     
n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样,从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句
5 random HT9xd     
adj.随机的;任意的;n.偶然的(或随便的)行动
参考例句:
  • The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
  • On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查,发现肉变质了。
6 captivity qrJzv     
n.囚禁;被俘;束缚
参考例句:
  • A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
  • He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。
7 reclaim NUWxp     
v.要求归还,收回;开垦
参考例句:
  • I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
  • You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时,必须出示这张票子。
8 hormone uyky3     
n.荷尔蒙,激素,内分泌
参考例句:
  • Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
  • This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
9 mediation 5Cxxl     
n.调解
参考例句:
  • The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
  • The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。
10 aggression WKjyF     
n.进攻,侵略,侵犯,侵害
参考例句:
  • So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结,就不必惧怕外来侵略。
  • Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。
11 confrontations c51194060d6a4df61a641d2290c573ad     
n.对抗,对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时,这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
  • These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定,第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句
12 indicator i8NxM     
n.指标;指示物,指示者;指示器
参考例句:
  • Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
  • His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。
13 residential kkrzY3     
adj.提供住宿的;居住的;住宅的
参考例句:
  • The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
  • The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。
14 physiology uAfyL     
n.生理学,生理机能
参考例句:
  • He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
  • He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。
15 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
16 regaining 458e5f36daee4821aec7d05bf0dd4829     
复得( regain的现在分词 ); 赢回; 重回; 复至某地
参考例句:
  • She was regaining consciousness now, but the fear was coming with her. 现在她正在恢发她的知觉,但是恐怖也就伴随着来了。
  • She said briefly, regaining her will with a click. 她干脆地答道,又马上重新振作起精神来。
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