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Exactly why a stump's neighbours dole out their hard-won nutrients in this manner remains a mystery, but Dr Bader and Dr Leuzinger have ideas.
為什么樹樁的鄰居們會以這種方式少量發放自己辛苦得來的營養仍是個謎，但Bader和Leuzinger博士有自己的想法。
Biologists know of two ways co-operation between organisms can evolve.
生物學家知道生物體之間有兩種合作可以進化。
One is kin selection, which requires the collaborators to be related (as neighbouring trees of the same species are likely to be)
一種是親緣選擇，要求合作者相互聯系（就像鄰近的同種樹木一樣）
and works if sacrifices by one bring disproportionate reproductive benefits to others.
如果一方給另一方帶來不成比例的繁殖優勢，這種方式就會奏效。
The effect of this is to propagate a collaborator's genes collaterally,
這種方法的效果是間接地傳播合作者的基因
in a way that sociologists might refer to as nepotism, instead of directly from parent to offspring.
在某種程度上，社會學家或許稱為裙帶關系，而非直接從父母傳給后代。
This may be why root connections happen in the first place, but cannot explain their perpetuation,
這或許是根系連接首先發生的原因，但這無法解釋它們的存活，
for trying to help a trunkless stump reproduce would be a fool's errand.
因為嘗試幫助沒有樹干的樹樁繁殖是徒勞的。
The other route to co-operation is reciprocal altruism of the "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" variety.
另一種合作方式是互惠利他主義，即“你幫我，我幫你”。
This requires a stump's neighbours, which are feeding it, to benefit directly from the arrangement.
這要求樹樁附近向它運輸營養的鄰居直接從這種配植中獲益。
The suggestion Dr Bader and Dr Leuzinger make is that they do—
Bader和Leuzinger博士認為它們確實這么做了—
the stump's role being to extend, at minimal cost, the root networks of its intact neighbours.
樹樁的角色是以最小的代價擴張其完整鄰居的根系網絡。
From their point of view, that makes keeping the stump alive worthwhile.
從他們的角度來看，這使得樹樁的存活是值得的。
If this is what is going on, however, it is a good illustration of the dangers of anthropomorphic terminology.
然而，若事實如此，那么這就很好地說明了擬人術語的危險。
The arrangement might look reciprocal to human eyes, because it is keeping the stump alive.
這種配植可能看起來與人類的眼睛是對等的，因為它保持了樹樁的活性。
But since the stump cannot reproduce it might as well, in Darwinian terms, be dead anyway,
但既然樹樁不能繁殖，用達爾文的話說，它還是有可能會死掉，
for it garners no evolutionary benefit from its survival. Unless, of course, to go back to the idea of kin selection,
因為它沒有從它的生存中獲得進化上的好處。當然，除非回到親緣選擇的概念，
the neighbours it is sustaining are its kin and it is rendering nepotistic assistance to them from beyond the grave.
它所扶養的鄰居是它的親戚并且它在死后向它們提供裙帶關系的援助。
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