Typically the queen honeybee is mother to all the bees in a hive; after mating with several male drones from other colonies, she lays fertilized eggs that develop into all-female worker eggs, and lays unfertilized eggs that become all-male drones. When a queen dies, workers often lay unfertilized eggs that hatch into drones. Yet workers rarely reproduce while a queen reigns.
According to natural selection theory, a worker would enhance her fitness -- or ability to propagate her genes - by hatching her own eggs in addition to or in place of the queen's. But a typical worker's fitness would be diminished if other workers' sons, who have less genetic material in common with the worker, suplanted the queen's sons(the worker's brothers).
以上便是原文(第一,二段). 虽然没什么单词, 但对第二段第二句的理解很有困难. 谢高人指点
Typically the queen honeybee is mother to all the bees in a hive; after mating
经典上看,蜂后是一个蜂巢中所有蜜蜂的母亲,
with several male drones from other colonies, she lays fertilized eggs that
她与其他系源的几个公蜂交配后,产下受精卵,这些受精卵都会变成全雌性工蜂卵。另外,
develop into all-female worker eggs, and lays unfertilized eggs that become all-
她还产出非受精卵,这些非受精卵变成雄性蜂。当蜂后死后,工蜂经常产下能孵化成drone的非受精卵。
ale drones. When a queen dies, workers often lay unfertilized eggs that hatch into drones. Yet workers rarely reproduce while a queen reigns.
不过,在蜂后掌权的时候(存活的时候),工蜂是很少生产的。
According to natural selection theory, a worker would enhance her fitness -- or
按自然选择学说的说法,一个工蜂可以通过孵化她自己的卵来加强自己的适应性或增强自己
ability to propagate her genes - by hatching her own eggs in addition to or in
繁衍自己基因的能力,甚至取代蜂后的地位。
place of the queen's. But a typical worker's fitness would be diminished if
但这样的情况发生,工蜂的适应性将会降低,因为与蜂后的子女比,其他工蜂的子女与工蜂在遗传物质上有较少的共同性。
other workers' sons, who have less genetic material in common with the worker, suplanted the queen's sons(the worker's brothers).