英語聽力文摘 灰蝶與螞蟻雙贏原則

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The Special Relationship Between Ants and Lycaenid Butterflies

The Lycaenids are a group of butterflies known commonly as blues, coppers and hairstreaks. Most species of Lycaenid butterflies have evolved close, mutually- beneficial relationships with different species of ants.

A Special Relationship

The caterpillars of these butterflies develop special glands that secrete a nectar-like substance to attract ants. The ants swarm all over the caterpillars, drinking the secretion. The ants “milk” secretions from the caterpillars by tickling special glands on the caterpillars with their antennas.

In some Australian species, the attending ants even build thatched or earthen corrals to contain the caterpillars. By day the caterpillars are protected from predators by the corral and the ants. At night the ants herd the caterpillars up a nearby tree to feed on leaves.

What Do The Caterpillars Get Out Of It?

The ants are like a private army of bodyguards. Colonies of ants are quite fierce — swarming, biting or even consuming potentialpredators.

In fact, the caterpillars’ sweet secretions are not only nutritious, but also contain chemicals that subdue the ants. Otherwise the ants might kill the caterpillars themselves! Some caterpillars also make drumming sounds to keep their attendant ants alert.

Unprotected caterpillars would make a tasty treat for insect-eaters like birds, frogs or larger insects. But ants taste bitter or even toxic when eaten. To most predators, a caterpillar covered in ants is about as appetizing as a candy bar covered in thumbtacks.

So, the ants benefit from the energy-rich secretions produced by the caterpillars, and the caterpillars benefit from the ants’ protection.

譯文：

灰蝴蝶是一群被認(rèn)為有著藍(lán)色，紫銅色，并且翅膀上有細(xì)紋的蝴蝶，其大部分品種的進(jìn)化與許多螞蟻有著親密無間并且互惠互利的關(guān)系。

特殊關(guān)系

蝴蝶幼蟲擁有一種特殊的腺體，它能夠分泌如花蜜的甘甜物質(zhì)來吸引螞蟻。螞蟻將幼蟲包圍，吮吸這甜美的“蜜”，同時(shí)也用自己的觸須撓蝴蝶幼蟲的腺體。

澳大利亞有些種類的螞蟻甚至修建起“茅草屋”或者是“土畜欄”將幼蟲圈起來。白天的時(shí)候，螞蟻和畜欄保護(hù)幼蟲不受食肉動物的侵犯，夜晚時(shí)，螞蟻將幼蟲搬離到離樹近的地方，幼蟲便能用樹葉充饑。

螞蟻就像是私人貼身保鏢，并且是十分兇猛的保鏢，他們成群結(jié)隊(duì)撕咬甚至是消滅掉潛在的捕食者。

事實(shí)上，幼蟲的分泌物不僅僅是營養(yǎng)豐富，同時(shí)也含有一種能夠制服螞蟻的化學(xué)物質(zhì)，不然的話，螞蟻也會讓幼蟲致命。有些幼蟲甚至發(fā)出鼓聲用以警示螞蟻。

未受保護(hù)的蝴蝶幼蟲對于如鳥類，蛙或者是大一點(diǎn)的昆蟲這些食用昆蟲的物種來說是一頓美餐。但如果是吃螞蟻的話，不僅味道苦澀，甚至還是有毒的。在食肉動物看來，被螞蟻包裹著的蝴蝶幼蟲就像是包滿圖釘?shù)奶枪?/p>

就這樣，螞蟻從幼蟲的分泌物中攝取營養(yǎng)，而幼蟲也正是有了螞蟻的保護(hù)而健康成長。