佛罗里达水族馆的突破，没准可以拯救美国唯一的大堡礁

佛罗里达水族馆的突破，没准可以拯救美国唯一的大堡礁

The world’s coral reefs are struggling. Warming ocean waters and pollution have led to mass die-offs of coral in many places around the planet. The only barrier reef in the United States sits off the coast of Florida, and it’s been dealing with its own set of problems, including the spread of coral-killing disease that has devastated portions of the reef.

世界上的珊瑚礁都在生存线挣扎。海水变暖和污染导致全球许多地方的珊瑚大量死亡。美国唯一的大堡礁位于佛罗里达州海岸外，它一直在处理自己的一系列问题，包括珊瑚死亡疾病的蔓延，这种疾病已经破坏了大堡礁的部分区域。

Now, for the first time ever, a species of coral recovered from the reef has been grown by humans in an aquarium. Ridged cactus coral at the Florida Aquarium reproduced in an artificial setting, offering hope that scientists may be able to rescue areas of the reef that have been hit hard by the disease.

现在，人类第一次在水族馆里培育出一种从珊瑚礁中恢复的珊瑚。佛罗里达水族馆的脊状仙人掌珊瑚在人工环境中成功繁殖，这给科学家们带来了希望，他们也许能够拯救被这种疾病严重破坏的珊瑚礁。

Coral reefs are incredibly vital to the health of Earth’s oceans. They provide the backbone of the ocean ecosystem, serving as sanctuaries for young fish and many other ocean creatures. Barrier reefs like the one off the coast of Florida are important to humans as well, as they provide coastal structure and stability.

珊瑚礁对地球海洋的健康至关重要。它们是海洋生态系统的支柱，是幼鱼和许多其他海洋生物的避难所。像佛罗里达海岸那样的珊瑚礁对人类也很重要，因为它们提供了海岸结构和稳定性。

If we let the reefs die off, we’re asking for trouble. In fact, recent studies have shown that the cost of letting coral die — thereby inviting increased damage to coastal cities from flooding and tropical storms — will cost us more than taking measures to preserve the reefs and protect them.

如果我们任由珊瑚礁灭绝，那就是在自找麻烦。事实上，最近的研究表明，让珊瑚死亡的成本——导致沿海城市因洪水和热带风暴遭受更大的破坏——将比采取措施保护珊瑚礁付出更多的代价。

Now, scientists at the Florida Aquarium have to play a bit of a waiting game. Knowing that they can get the coral to reproduce in a lab is a huge step, but rebuilding isn’t possible while the disease is still ravaging the reefs. In the meantime, the researchers are learning a great deal of new information about the corals.

现在，佛罗里达水族馆的科学家们不得不耐心等待。知道他们可以让珊瑚在实验室里繁殖是一个巨大的进步，但在疾病仍在破坏珊瑚礁的情况下，重建是不可能的。与此同时，研究人员正在研究大量有关珊瑚的新信息。

“We are losing coral species faster than we can learn about them,” Keri O’Neil, a senior coral scientist with the Florida Aquarium, told CNN. “This breakthrough is just really exciting; we’re still learning basic new things you’d think we’ve known for hundreds of years. It’s just people never worked with this species before and now that we have the opportunity to work with these corals in the lab, we’re going to find out so much more about them.”

佛罗里达水族馆的资深珊瑚科学家Keri O 'Neil告诉CNN:“珊瑚物种的消失速度比我们了解它们的速度还快。”“这个突破真的很令人兴奋;我们还在学习一些基本的新东西，你可能以为我们已经知道几百年了。只是人们以前从来没有研究过这个物种，现在我们有机会在实验室里研究这些珊瑚，我们一定会发现更多关于它们的信息。”

It’s still unclear exactly how long the disease outbreak among the coral might last, or at what point it would make sense for scientists to start seeding the reef with new coral. For now, the researchers will continue to monitor the situation and encourage coral reproduction in the lab.

目前还不清楚这种疾病在珊瑚群中爆发会持续多长时间，也不清楚科学家在什么时候开始在珊瑚群中播种新珊瑚是有意义的。目前，研究人员将继续监测情况，并鼓励珊瑚在实验室繁殖。