对于终生伴侣的物种来说，爱很重要

对于终生伴侣的物种来说，爱很重要

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.

鲜花和打扮通常是恋爱关系中约会阶段的一部分。一旦有了承诺，那些求爱的表现就会消失。

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.

但一项新的研究发现，一些鸟类和其他物种经常终生交配，有时在它们决定呆在一起很久之后仍会继续这种深情的表现。当雄性继续炫耀它们的舞步和鲜艳的颜色时，雌性会更加投入地照顾它们的关系和后代。

"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."

“许多鸟类研究人员都能讲述一个故事，就像我在英国的一次经历一样。我抓了一只雌性金翅雀，把它放在一个鸟袋里，然后把它带回了捆扎站。在返回车站的路上，她的伴侣一直跟在后面，并打电话给她，”该研究的资深作者、芝加哥大学的生物学家特雷弗·普莱斯在一份声明中说。我帮那只母猩猩绑上带子，它在附近的一棵树上不耐烦地等着。当我把它放开时，它俩叽叽喳喳地结伴飞走了。这种事情在很多其他物种中也会发生，所以在雄性和雌性之间形成牢固的伴侣关系和情感依恋显然不仅仅是人类的特征。”

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

作为这种亲密关系的一部分，一些雄性继续用花哨的情感表达方式来保持配偶的兴趣。像斑马雀。

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.

据美国奥杜邦协会称，斑胸草雀是一夫一妻制的，它们通常会和自己选择的伴侣生活在一起。它们关系密切，共同承担家务和育儿任务，但这并不妨碍它们偶尔与其他雀类嬉戏。

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.

雄性斑胸草雀有一个红色的喙。如果它的喙特别亮，可能会提高配偶的荷尔蒙水平。这可能导致雌性多生一个蛋。这种华丽的展示对雄性来说是有好处的，会产生更多的后代，即使它最终会给照顾婴儿的配偶带来额外的工作。

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.

他可以通过在许多女性面前昂首阔步来增加繁殖的机会。相反，他经常用他的美貌来吸引他的伴侣——而且只吸引她——从而让他的伴侣投入到这段关系中。研究人员指出，一些鱼类也会这样做。

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.

研究人员在《美国国家科学院院刊》杂志上解释了他们的发现。

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.

如果这些忠诚的雄性没有表现出来，那么它们的配偶可能会生更少的蛋，这对它们俩都不好。