How we're growing baby corals to rebuild reefs | Kristen Marhaver

譯者: 易帆 余 審譯者: Melody Tang

What was the most difficult job you ever did?

你做過的工作當中，哪一個最困難?

Was it working in the sun?

是在大太陽底下工作？

Was it working to provide food for a family or a community?

還是提供食物給一個家庭或整個社區？

Was it working days and nights trying to protect lives and property?

還是不分晝夜的嘗試 保護生命和財產？

Was it working alone

還是獨自一人工作？

or working on a project that wasn't guaranteed to succeed,

或是在一個不保證成功的專案中工作，

but that might improve human health or save a life?

但卻可以改善人類健康 或者拯救一條生命？

Was it working to build something, create something, make a work of art?

這份工作是不是去建造或創造 某些東西，或是做一個藝術作品？

Was it work for which you were never sure

這份工作是不是讓你從來都不確定

自己是否會被人們所理解和感激？

you were fully understood or appreciated?

The people in our communities who do these jobs

那些在我們社會裡 從事這些工作的人，

值得受到我們的關注、 關愛和最大的支持。

deserve our attention, our love and our deepest support.

But people aren't the only ones in our communities

但是人類並不是我們社會中

who do these difficult jobs.

唯一從事這些困難工作的群體。

These jobs are also done by the plants, the animals

還有很多其他工作是植物、動物和

and the ecosystems on our planet,

地球上生態系統所做的，

including the ecosystems I study: the tropical coral reefs.

包括我在研究的生態系統：熱帶珊瑚礁。

Coral reefs are farmers.

珊瑚礁是農夫。

They provide food, income and food security

它們提供食物、收入和食物安全性，

for hundreds of millions of people around the world.

給全世界數億的人們。

Coral reefs are security guards.

珊瑚礁是安全衛士。

The structures that they build protect our shorelines

它們打造的結構， 保護​著我們的海岸線

from storm surge and waves,

不受暴風雨和海浪的侵襲，

and the biological systems that they house filter the water

而且這種生態系統 提供的棲息地能過濾海水，

and make it safer for us to work and play.

讓我們能更安全地在水中工作和玩耍。

Coral reefs are chemists.

珊瑚礁是化學家。

The molecules that we're discovering on coral reefs are increasingly important

珊瑚礁上發現的分子

對研究新的抗生素和癌症治療藥物 非常重要。

in the search for new antibiotics and new cancer drugs.

And coral reefs are artists.

珊瑚礁也是藝術家。

The structures that they build

它們創造的結構

是地球上最漂亮的景緻之一。

are some of the most beautiful things on planet Earth.

And this beauty is the foundation of the tourism industry

這種美麗的景緻是旅遊業的基礎，

in many countries with few or little other natural resources.

特別是對於許多 沒有其他自然資源的國家來說。

So for all of these reasons, all of these ecosystem services,

因為所有這些原因， 對於這些生態系統的服務，

economists estimate the value of the world's coral reefs

經濟學家估算了全世界珊瑚礁的價值，

in the hundreds of billions of dollars per year.

每年高達好幾千億美金。

And yet despite all that hard work being done for us

儘管珊瑚礁為我們做了 所有這些艱辛的工作，

and all that wealth that we gain,

儘管我們獲得了所有的財富，

we have done almost everything we possibly could to destroy that.

我們仍幾乎極盡所能地破壞它們。

We have taken the fish out of the oceans

我們從海洋裡獲取魚類，

and we have added in fertilizer, sewage,

而且我們還倒入肥料和廢水在裡面、

diseases, oil, pollution, sediments.

疾病、石油、污染物，還有沉積物。

We have trampled the reefs physically with our boats, our fins, our bulldozers,

我們用船舶、船舵和推土機踐踏珊瑚礁，

and we have changed the chemistry of the entire sea,

我們已經改變了整個海洋的化學結構，

warmed the waters and made storms worse.

讓海水溫度升高、讓暴風雨變得更加猛烈。

And these would all be bad on their own,

這其中的每一項本身就是有害的，

but these threats magnify each other

但它們還會彼此強化，

and compound one another and make each other worse.

且相互混合，讓彼此更加劇烈。

I'll give you an example.

我給各位舉個例子。

Where I live and work, in Curaçao, a tropical storm went by a few years ago.

古拉索是我生活和工作的地方。 它在幾年前，被一個熱帶暴風雨侵襲。

And on the eastern end of the island,

在島的最東端，

where the reefs are intact and thriving,

珊瑚保存完好，生長得很繁茂，

you could barely tell a tropical storm had passed.

你很難相信一個 熱帶暴風雨剛剛經過這裡。

But in town, where corals had died from overfishing, from pollution,

但是在城鎮地區，因過度捕撈和污染 已造成珊瑚死亡。

the tropical storm picked up the dead corals

熱帶暴風雨夾帶起死去的珊瑚，

and used them as bludgeons to kill the corals that were left.

並把它們當成棍棒， 敲打死其它剩下活著的珊瑚。

This is a coral that I studied during my PhD --

這是我在研讀博士學位期間 所研究的珊瑚，

I got to know it quite well.

我很了解它。

And after this storm took off half of its tissue,

在暴風雨過後，它只剩了半邊組織，

it became infested with algae,

它開始被海藻侵蝕，

the algae overgrew the tissue and that coral died.

當海藻在珊瑚身上過度生長， 珊瑚就死了。

This magnification of threats, this compounding of factors

這些巨大威脅、這些綜和因素，

is what Jeremy Jackson describes as the "slippery slope to slime."

正是傑里米·傑克遜描述的 "滑向爛泥的斜坡。"

It's hardly even a metaphor because many of our reefs now

這甚至不是個比喻而已，

因為現在很多礁石簡直是由細菌， 海草和爛泥所組成。

are literally bacteria and algae and slime.

Now, this is the part of the talk

接下來的部分，你們也許會以為，

where you may expect me to launch into my plea

我要開始提出

請大家來保護珊瑚礁的呼籲。

for us to all save the coral reefs.

But I have a confession to make:

但我要坦白一件事：

that phrase drives me nuts.

這句話讓我很受不了。

Whether I see it in a tweet, in a news headline

無論我在推特、報紙頭條

or the glossy pages of a conservation brochure,

或是設計精美的環保宣傳冊上看到，

that phrase bothers me,

那些辭藻都讓我覺得很反感，

because we as conservationists have been sounding the alarms

因為身為自然環境保護者的我們，

幾十年來一直在發出 珊瑚礁死亡的警告。

about the death of coral reefs for decades.

And yet, almost everyone I meet, no matter how educated,

但是，幾乎我所遇到的人， 無論他們受教育程度如何，

is not sure what a coral is or where they come from.

居然都不太確定珊瑚是甚麼， 也不知道它們從哪裡來。

How would we get someone to care about the world's coral reefs

當它只是一個人們 幾乎不了解的抽象概念，

when it's an abstract thing they can barely understand?

我們又要如何要求這些人 來關心世界上的珊瑚礁呢？

If they don't understand what a coral is or where it comes from,

如果他們不知道珊瑚是什麼， 或是它們從哪來，

or how funny or interesting or beautiful it is,

也不知道它們多麼好玩或有意思， 或它們有多美麗，

why would we expect them to care about saving them?

我們如何期待他們去 關心對珊瑚的拯救呢？

So let's change that.

所以，讓我們改變一下。

What is a coral and where does it come from?

什麼是珊瑚以及它們從哪來？

Corals are born in a number of different ways,

珊瑚可以通過很多種方式誕生，

but most often by mass spawning: all of the individuals of a single species

但通常是通過大量產卵： 所有這些同一類的珊瑚蟲個體

on one night a year,

在每年的一個晚上，

releasing all the eggs they've made that year

會釋放出它們當年產的所有卵到水柱中去，

into the water column,

packaged into bundles with sperm cells.

並與精子細胞打包綁在一起。

And those bundles go to the surface of the ocean and break apart.

那些卵包到了海面並散開來。

And hopefully -- hopefully -- at the surface of the ocean,

希望...希望...在海面上，

they meet the eggs and sperm from other corals.

它們可以遇到其他珊瑚蟲的卵子和精子。

And that is why you need lots of corals on a coral reef --

而這就是為什麼一個珊瑚礁上 需要大量的珊瑚蟲--

so that all of their eggs can meet their match at the surface.

這樣它們所有的卵 才能在海面上找到精子。

When they're fertilized, they do what any other animal egg does:

當這些卵受精後， 它們就像其他動物的卵一樣：

divides in half again and again and again.

一遍又一遍地分裂。

每年在顯微鏡下拍這些照片，

Taking these photos under the microscope every year

is one of my favorite and most magical moments of the year.

是我一年中最喜歡、感到最神奇的時刻。

At the end of all this cell division, they turn into a swimming larva --

在所有這些細胞分裂結束後， 它們變成了會游動的幼蟲——

a little tiny blob of fat the size of a poppy seed,

胖胖的小圓點，大小像個罌粟種子，

but with all of the sensory systems that we have.

但已經具備我們人類 所有的感覺系統了。

They can sense color and light, textures, chemicals, pH.

它們可以感知顏色和光、 紋理、化學物質和酸鹼值。

They can even feel pressure waves; they can hear sound.

它們甚至可以感覺到壓力波； 它們可以聽到聲音。

它們可以用這些天份，

And they use those talents

to search the bottom of the reef for a place to attach

在珊瑚礁的底部 尋找附著的地方，

and live the rest of their lives.

並度過它們的餘生。

So imagine finding a place where you would live the rest of your life

想像一下， 當你只有2天大的時候，

when you were just two days old.

你就要去尋找一個 能度過你餘生的地方，

They attach in the place they find most suitable,

它們會附著在它們覺得最適合的地方，

they build a skeleton underneath themselves,

在自己下面建造骨架，

they build a mouth and tentacles,

建造嘴巴和觸手，

and then they begin the difficult work of building the world's coral reefs.

然後他們就開始建造珊瑚礁世界 的這份艱辛工作了。

One coral polyp will divide itself again and again and again,

珊瑚蟲將自己分裂一次又一次，

leaving a limestone skeleton underneath itself

它們會在自己的下面， 留下一個石灰岩的骨架，

and growing up toward the sun.

然後朝著太陽的方向生長。

Given hundreds of years and many species,

數百年之後，許多種類的珊瑚在一起

what you get is a massive limestone structure

形成了一個巨大的石灰結構。

that can be seen from space in many cases,

許多在太空中都能看到，

covered by a thin skin of these hardworking animals.

這些石灰結構的表面覆蓋著一層薄薄的 這些辛勤工作的珊瑚蟲。

Now, there are only a few hundred species of corals on the planet, maybe 1,000.

現在，地球上僅有 幾百種珊瑚，也許1000種。

But these systems house millions and millions of other species,

但這些系統棲息著其他好幾百萬種生物，

and that diversity is what stabilizes the systems,

而其多樣性造就了 這個生態系統的穩定性，

and it's where we're finding our new medicines.

也讓我們找到了新型的藥物。

It's how we find new sources of food.

它讓我們找到新的食物來源。

I'm lucky enough to work on the island of Curaçao,

我很幸運能在古拉索島上工作，

where we still have reefs that look like this.

在那裡我們仍能找到像這樣的珊瑚礁。

But, indeed, much of the Caribbean and much of our world

但是，事實上在加勒比海和 我們世界上大多數地方，

is much more like this.

卻是這般光景。

Scientists have studied in increasing detail

科學家已經深入研究

the loss of the world's coral reefs,

全球珊瑚礁消失的原因細節。

and they have documented with increasing certainty the causes.

他們記錄了這些更被確認的原因。

But in my research, I'm not interested in looking backward.

但是在我的研究中，我對過去不感興趣。

My colleagues and I in Curaçao are interested in looking forward

我和我同事，對將來在古拉索島上

會發生什麼很感興趣。

at what might be.

And we have the tiniest reason to be optimistic.

我們只能用最小的理由保持樂觀。

Because even in some of these reefs

因為即使在某些我們早就 不抱希望的珊瑚礁裡，

that we probably could have written off long ago,

we sometimes see baby corals arrive and survive anyway.

我們有時仍會看到珊瑚蟲的幼蟲 到達這裡並想辦法生存下來。

And we're starting to think that baby corals may have the ability

隨後，我們開始思考，這些小珊瑚蟲們

可能有某種能力去適應一些 成年珊瑚蟲可能適應不了的地方。

to adjust to some of the conditions that the adults couldn't.

They may be able to adjust

它們也許可以快速調整

ever so slightly more readily to this human planet.

來適應人類這個星球。

So in the research I do with my colleagues in Curaçao,

所以我和同事在古拉索的研究中，

we try to figure out what a baby coral needs

我們嘗試尋找小珊瑚蟲

在初期階段生長的需求，

in that critical early stage,

what it's looking for

這些小珊瑚蟲到底在找些什麼，

and how we can try to help it through that process.

以及我們怎麼才能 幫助它們渡過這些難關。

I'm going to show you three examples of the work we've done

我將向你們展示 我們工作中的三個例子，

to try to answer those questions.

並以此來解答我剛提出的那些困惑。

A few years ago we took a 3D printer and we made coral choice surveys --

在幾年以前，我們用3D打印設備， 進行了「珊瑚選擇調查研究」，

different colors and different textures,

給出不同顏色和材質的環境，

and we simply asked the coral where they preferred to settle.

我們只是簡單地詢問珊瑚蟲， 它們喜歡住在哪裡。

And we found that corals, even without the biology involved,

然後我們發現，珊瑚蟲即使在 沒有任何生物介入的情況下，

still prefer white and pink, the colors of a healthy reef.

仍然較喜歡白色和 粉紅色的健康礁石。

And they prefer crevices and grooves and holes,

它們喜歡裂縫，凹槽，還有洞，

where they will be safe from being trampled

在那些地方它們可以 安全地不受外界踐踏，

or eaten by a predator.

也不會被捕食者吃掉。

So we can use this knowledge,

所以我們可以用這些知識，

we can go back and say we need to restore those factors --

回到實驗室， 我們需要重構這些因素，

that pink, that white, those crevices, those hard surfaces --

將--粉紅，白色，有裂縫，堅硬的表面--

列入到我們的保存專案之中。

in our conservation projects.

We can also use that knowledge

我們也能把這些知識，

if we're going to put something underwater, like a sea wall or a pier.

運用到建造海底牆體和碼頭上， 把合適的材料放在水下。

We can choose to use the materials and colors and textures

我們可以選擇用這些材料、顏色、紋路，

that might bias the system back toward those corals.

讓整個生態系統有利於 珊瑚蟲的生存。

Now in addition to the surfaces,

除了研究合適的表面，

we also study the chemical and microbial signals

我們也研究了可以吸引珊瑚蟲

that attract corals to reefs.

附著在礁石上的化學和微生物訊號。

Starting about six years ago, I began culturing bacteria

大約六年前，我就開始培養 棲息在珊瑚礁表面的細菌。

from surfaces where corals had settled.

And I tried those one by one by one,

我一個一個試，

looking for the bacteria that would convince corals to settle and attach.

尋找那些能誘導珊瑚蟲 定居和吸附的細菌種類。

And we now have many bacterial strains in our freezer

現在我們有很多細菌株在冷凍櫃裡，

that will reliably cause corals

可以信賴地讓珊瑚蟲

to go through that settlement and attachment process.

願意去附著和生長的菌類。

So as we speak,

所以在我們演講的這段時間裡，

my colleagues in Curaçao are testing those bacteria

我在古拉索的同事們 正在測試那些細菌，

to see if they'll help us raise more coral settlers in the lab,

去研究它們是否能幫助我們在實驗室 建造珊瑚的棲息地，

and to see if those coral settlers will survive better

以及觀察這些珊瑚蟲，

是否在我們把它放回海底後 能夠更好地生存。

when we put them back underwater.

Now in addition to these tools, we also try to uncover the mysteries

除了這些工具， 我們也在嘗試解開

of species that are under-studied.

研究中的物種秘密。

This is one of my favorite corals, and always has been:

這是其中我最喜歡的 珊瑚中的一種，一直都是：

dendrogyra cylindrus, the pillar coral.

系統樹柱狀的柱狀珊瑚。

I love it because it makes this ridiculous shape,

我喜歡它，因為它有著無與倫比的形狀，

because its tentacles are fat and look fuzzy

因為它的觸鬚胖嘟嘟，看起來毛茸茸，

and because it's rare.

而且它很稀有。

Finding one of these on a reef is a treat.

能找到這樣一種珊瑚 絕對是一種慰藉。

In fact, it's so rare,

實際上，它是真的太稀有了，

that last year it was listed as a threatened species

以至於它去年在瀕危物種列表上

on the endangered species list.

被認定是瀕危物種，

And this was in part because in over 30 years of research surveys,

這不難理解，因為在 過去30年的研究中，

scientists had never found a baby pillar coral.

科學家從未發現過一隻 幼年柱形珊瑚蟲。

We weren't even sure if they could still reproduce,

我們之前都無法確信 它是否還可以繼續繁衍，

or if they were still reproducing.

或者當時是否還在繁殖。

So four years ago, we started following these at night

所以四年前，我們開始在夜間跟蹤它們，

and watching to see if we could figure out when they spawn in Curaçao.

並觀察它們什麼時候會在古拉索產卵。

We got some good tips from our colleagues in Florida,

我們從佛羅里達的同事那裡 得到了一些好的建議，

who had seen one in 2007, one in 2008,

他們在2007年和2008年分別 看到了一隻柱狀珊瑚，

and eventually we figured out when they spawn in Curaçao

最後，我們找到了 它們在古拉索產卵的時間，

and we caught it.

我們捕捉到了這個時刻。

Here's a female on the left with some eggs in her tissue,

左邊是一隻母珊瑚蟲和 一些在她組織中的卵，

about to release them into the seawater.

她正要把這些卵釋放到海水中。

And here's a male on the right, releasing sperm.

而右邊是一隻公的珊瑚蟲在釋放精子。

We collected this, we got it back to the lab, we got it to fertilize

我們收集了這些卵子和精子， 帶回實驗室進行培育，

and we got baby pillar corals swimming in our lab.

於是就有了柱狀珊瑚蟲 在我們實驗室里里游來游去。

Thanks to the work of our scientific aunts and uncles,

感謝我們科學界的叔叔阿姨們，

and thanks to the 10 years of practice we've had in Curaçao

也要感謝我們在古拉索島上

at raising other coral species,

十年培育其他珊瑚蟲種類的經驗，

we got some of those larvae to go through the rest of the process

我們有了這些珊瑚幼蟲， 就可以完成剰下的步驟，

and settle and attach,

讓它們在礁石上附著和生存下來，

and turn into metamorphosed corals.

並成為變質珊瑚礁。

So this is the first pillar coral baby that anyone ever saw.

這是任何人都未曾見過的 第一隻年幼柱狀珊瑚蟲。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

And I have to say -- if you think baby pandas are cute,

我不得不說—— 如果你們認為熊貓寶寶很可愛，

this is cuter.

那這些小珊瑚蟲更可愛。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So we're starting to figure out the secrets to this process,

所以，我們開始研究珊瑚繁殖過程的秘密，

the secrets of coral reproduction and how we might help them.

我們要找出如何幫助它們繁殖。

And this is true all around the world;

全世界都面臨著同樣的情況；

scientists are figuring out new ways to handle their embryos,

科學家們正在找出新的方法 去處理珊瑚蟲的胚胎，

to get them to settle,

讓它們棲息生長，

maybe even figuring out the methods to preserve them at low temperatures,

甚至在想辦法 把它們保存在低溫底下，

so that we can preserve their genetic diversity

這樣我們就可以保存 它們的基因多樣性，

and work with them more often.

並且有更多機會對它們進行研究。

But this is still so low-tech.

但是這個過程的技術含量很低。

We are limited by the space on our bench, the number of hands in the lab

我們實驗室的空間有限，人手也不夠，

and the number of coffees we can drink in any given hour.

連喝個咖啡的時間都少的可憐。

現在，比對一下我們人類 遇到的其它危機及社會問題。

Now, compare that to our other crises

and our other areas of concern as a society.

We have advanced medical technology, we have defense technology,

我們有先進的醫療技術， 我們有先進的防禦技術，

we have scientific technology,

我們也有科學手段，

we even have advanced technology for art.

甚至還有先進的藝術科技。

But our technology for conservation is behind.

但是我們的保育技術卻遠遠落後。

Think back to the most difficult job you ever did.

回想你們做過的最艱辛工作。

Many of you would say it was being a parent.

你們很多人肯定會說是為人父母。

My mother described being a parent

我的母親形容，為人父母就是，

as something that makes your life far more amazing and far more difficult

要讓自己的生命比你想像的 更加精彩、更加艱辛。

than you could've ever possibly imagined.

I've been trying to help corals become parents for over 10 years now.

我從事讓珊瑚蟲當父母 的這項工作已超過十年了。

And watching the wonder of life

而見證這些生命的奇蹟，

has certainly filled me with amazement to the core of my soul.

確實讓我的靈魂核心充滿了驚艷。

But I've also seen how difficult it is for them to become parents.

但我也了解成為父母 對珊瑚蟲而言有多麼的困難。

The pillar corals spawned again two weeks ago,

那些柱狀珊瑚蟲兩週前在此產卵，

and we collected their eggs and brought them back to the lab.

我們取了它們的卵，並帶回了實驗室。

And here you see one embryo dividing,

這裡你們可以看到一個胚胎在分裂， 馬上就會炸裂開，

alongside 14 eggs that didn't fertilize

而旁邊其他的14個卵

and will blow up.

還沒有任何分裂跡象。

They'll be infected with bacteria, they will explode

這些珊瑚蟲卵 會被細菌感染，爆裂開來，

and those bacteria will threaten the life of this one embryo

而這些細菌也會侵害那隻能夠分裂的胚胎。

that has a chance.

We don't know if it was our handling methods that went wrong

我們不知道是否 我們的處理過程有問題，

and we don't know

if it was just this coral on this reef, always suffering from low fertility.

還是這種珊瑚蟲在礁石上 的繁育率一直都很低。

Whatever the cause,

無論這種低產率的原因是什麼，

we have much more work to do before we can use baby corals

在我們能用這些珊瑚蟲去培育、修復、 或者保護珊瑚礁之前，

to grow or fix or, yes, maybe save coral reefs.

我們還有更多的工作要做。

So never mind that they're worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

不要在意它們是否價值連城。

Coral reefs are hardworking animals and plants and microbes and fungi.

珊瑚礁是由辛勤工作的 動、植物和細菌組成的。

They're providing us with art and food and medicine.

它們提供​​我們 藝術、食物和藥物。

And we almost took out an entire generation of corals.

我們幾乎毀掉了整整一代的珊瑚。

But a few made it anyway, despite our best efforts,

儘管我們一直不斷地破壞， 但仍有一些倖存了下來，

and now it's time for us to thank them for the work they did

而現在，是時候，換我們去 感謝這些物種所帶來的貢獻，

and give them every chance they have to raise the coral reefs of the future,

並且給予它們所有在未來 成長為珊瑚礁的機會，

及撫育珊瑚幼蟲的機會。

their coral babies.

Thank you so much.

(Applause)

非常謝謝你們。

（掌聲）