-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
This is Scientific American's 60-second Science, I'm Christopher Intagliata.
They're furry1, fat and hibernate2 all winter. Not bears — bumblebees. Specifically the queens, which e?merge3 from hibernation4 in the spring to establish new colonies — a bit of a trek5 away.
"We knew that queens end up kilometers from the previous year's natal6 nest site but we didn't know anything about how they get there." Clint Perry, a cognitive7 biologist at Queen Mary University of London.
To observe that phenomenon in action, he and his team glued antennas8 to the backs of 20 bumblebee queens, which had been kept under simulated hibernation conditions. The researchers then tracked the insects with radar9 as they emerged from small dens10 in the dirt and found that bumblebees take wing for only 10 to 20 seconds before landing for much longer layovers.
"We were all surprised the bees spent so much time resting in the ground and that they seem to sleep for so much time even. I personally found it amusing and cute that they position their bodies so their head was under a leaf or under grass while their butt11 was still sticking out in the open."
Observations of wild bees confirmed they do this too — and that it wasn't just the transponders affecting the bees' behavior. As for how they wind up kilometers away from the previous year's nest site? Computer modeling suggests even these short random12 bursts of flight would do the job. The results are in the journal Scientific Reports.
The findings suggest some queen-friendly conservation ideas too: "It would likely help queen bumblebee survival if we established pollinator-friendly corridors between conserved13 landscape patches. That means planting more pollinator-friendly flowers and pollinator-friendly trees and flowers year-round."
The queens also take shelter in long grass and leaf litter, suggesting an intervention14 closer to home — if you can resist raking, that is.
Thanks for listening for Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata.
![收听单词发音](/images/play.gif)
1
furry
![]() |
|
adj.毛皮的;似毛皮的;毛皮制的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2
hibernate
![]() |
|
v.冬眠,蛰伏 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3
merge
![]() |
|
v.(使)结合,(使)合并,(使)合为一体 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4
hibernation
![]() |
|
n.冬眠 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5
trek
![]() |
|
vi.作长途艰辛的旅行;n.长途艰苦的旅行 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6
natal
![]() |
|
adj.出生的,先天的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7
cognitive
![]() |
|
adj.认知的,认识的,有感知的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8
antennas
![]() |
|
[生] 触角,触须(antenna的复数形式) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9
radar
![]() |
|
n.雷达,无线电探测器 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10
dens
![]() |
|
n.牙齿,齿状部分;兽窝( den的名词复数 );窝点;休息室;书斋 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11
butt
![]() |
|
n.笑柄;烟蒂;枪托;臀部;v.用头撞或顶 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12
random
![]() |
|
adj.随机的;任意的;n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13
conserved
![]() |
|
v.保护,保藏,保存( conserve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14
intervention
![]() |
|
n.介入,干涉,干预 | |
参考例句: |
|
|