Attack of the killer algae

藻類殺手的攻擊

來源視頻

We've all seen the movies where a monster,

created by a scientist in a laboratory,

escapes to wreak havoc on the outside world.

But what if the monster was not some giant rampaging beast,

destroying a city, but just a tiny amount of seaweed

with the potential to disrupt entire coastal ecosystems?

我們都在電影中看到過

由科學(xué)家在實(shí)驗(yàn)室創(chuàng)造出來的某個(gè)怪獸，

出逃并蹂躪了我們的世界。

但是，如果這個(gè)毀滅城市的生物不是 某些巨大狂暴的怪獸，

而僅僅是一小簇

有著破壞整個(gè)沿海生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的能力的海藻呢？

This is the story of Caulerpa taxifolia,

originally a naturally occurring seaweed

native to tropical waters.

In the 1980s, one strain was found to thrive in colder environments.

This trait, combined with its beautiful, bright green color

and ability to grow quickly without maintenance

made it ideal for aquariums, which it helped keep clean

by consuming nutrients and chemicals in the water.

Further selective breeding made it even heartier,

and soon it was used in aquariums around the world.

這便是杉葉蕨藻的故事，

追溯其源，它來源于熱帶水域，

是一種自然生長(zhǎng)的原生海藻。

在八十年代，發(fā)現(xiàn)了一簇生長(zhǎng)在寒冷環(huán)境中的海藻。

他們還有著美麗的、亮綠色外表，

并且無需養(yǎng)護(hù)，迅速生長(zhǎng)

是水族箱中的理想的清道夫，

因?yàn)樗鼈兛梢晕账械酿B(yǎng)料和一些化學(xué)物質(zhì)，

精選培育的品種就更貼心了。

很快，便廣泛用于世界各地的水族館中了。

But it was not long before a sample of this

aquarium-developed super algae

turned up in the Mediterranean Sea

near the famed Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.

The marine biologist who found it believed that

the museum had accidentally realeased it into the ocean

along with aquarium waters,

while museum directors claimed

it had be carried into the area by ocean currents.

但不久，

在地中海區(qū)域

發(fā)現(xiàn)了這種為了適應(yīng)水族館 特別培育的超級(jí)海藻，

就在著名的摩納哥海洋博物館附近。

發(fā)現(xiàn)海藻的海洋生物學(xué)家相信

這是海洋博物館在傾倒水族箱中的水時(shí)

無意將海藻也一同倒入了海洋之中，

然而博物館負(fù)責(zé)人堅(jiān)稱

它們是隨著洋流飄落到這里的。

Regardless of how it ended up there,

the non-native Caulerpa multiplied rapidly,

having no natural predators

due to releasing a toxin that keeps fish away.

And like some mythical monster, even a tiny piece that broke off

could grow into a whole new colony.

Through water currents and contact with boat anchors and fishing lines,

it fragmented and spread throughout Mediterranean coastal cities

covering coral reefs.

不究其源，

這種外來杉葉海藻迅速繁殖，

沒有自然天敵，

因?yàn)樗鼈冡尫懦鲆环N毒素以驅(qū)趕魚群

像某種神秘怪獸，即使掉落的一小片海藻

都能長(zhǎng)成一個(gè)新的完整海藻群落

通過水流作用，或者攜掛在船錨和釣魚線上，

海藻在整個(gè)地中海海岸城市傳播生長(zhǎng)開來。

覆蓋在珊瑚礁上。

So what was the result of this invasion?

Well, it depends on who you ask.

Many scientists warned that the spread of Caulerpa

reduces biodiversity by crowding out native species of seaweed

that are eaten by fish,

with the biologist who first discovered its presence dubbing it

Killer Algae.

Other studies instead claim

that the algae actually had a beneficial effect

by consuming chemical pollutants --

one reason the aquariums strain was developed.

這樣的入侵，會(huì)導(dǎo)致怎樣的結(jié)果呢？

這取決于對(duì)于誰人而言。

很多科學(xué)家警告說，杉葉海藻的蔓延

會(huì)侵占本地海草物種的生存地， 導(dǎo)致生物多樣性銳減，

而本地海草是魚類的食物。

因此最先發(fā)現(xiàn)海藻存在的 生物學(xué)家稱呼它們?yōu)?/p>

海藻殺手

另一些研究卻聲稱

這些海藻實(shí)際上是有益的

它們能吸收一些化學(xué)污染物－－

正是如此，才培育了水族館專用海藻。

But the disruption of a natural ecosystem

by an introduced foreign species

can have unpredictable and uncontrollable effects

that may not be immediately visible.

So when Culerpa taxifolia was discovered

at Carlsbad's Agua Hedionda Lagoon,

near San Diego in the year 2000,

having most likely come from the dumping

of home aquarium water into a connecting storm drain,

it was decided to stop it before it spread.

但是通過引入外來物種

對(duì)自然生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的破壞

有著不可預(yù)見，亦不可控制的結(jié)果，

也許在短期內(nèi)無法察覺到這些破壞。

所以在2000年，杉葉海藻被發(fā)現(xiàn)

出現(xiàn)在圣地亞哥附近的

卡爾斯巴德的黑迪翁達(dá)礁湖中，

它們可能是，家庭水族箱在傾倒廢水時(shí)

通過連接的排水管道傳播的，

人們決定采取措施控制其蔓延。

Tarps were placed over the Culerpa colonies

and chlorine injected inside.

Although this method killed

all other marine life trapped under the tarps,

it did succeed in eradicating the algae

and native eelgrass was able to emerge in its place.

By responding quickly, authorities in California

were able to prevent Culerpa from propagating.

But another occurrence of the strain,

in the coastal wetlands of southeast Australia,

was left unchecked and allowed to spread.

And unfortunately, a tarp cannot cover the Mediterranean Sea

or the Australian coast.

防水布被鋪放在海藻群上

并注入了氯氣

雖然這項(xiàng)舉措

殺死了所有防水布之下的海洋生物，

但是，根除海藻行動(dòng)的確成功了

而且使得本地的鰻草在此地生存。

加州當(dāng)局反應(yīng)迅速，

海藻的瘋長(zhǎng)得以控制。

但是海藻的另一股勢(shì)力

在澳洲西南部的海岸濕地處

迅速蔓延，無法控制。

而不幸的是，一塊防水布 無法覆蓋整個(gè)地中海，

或者是澳洲海岸。

Invasive species are not a new problem,

and can indeed occur naturally.

But when such species are the results of

human directed selective breeding or genetic modification

and then released into the natural environment,

their effect on ecosystems

can be far more radical and irreversible.

物種入侵并不是一個(gè)新難題。

在大自然中時(shí)有發(fā)生。

但是當(dāng)這一入侵物種

經(jīng)過人工挑選培育或者基因優(yōu)化后

之后被投放回大自然，

他們對(duì)生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的影響

將是更徹底而又無法挽回的。

With the proliferation of new technologies

and multiple threats to the environment,

it is more important than ever for scientists

to monitor and evaluate the risks and dangers,

and for the rest of us to remember

that what starts in our backyard

can effect ecosystems half a world away.

隨著新技術(shù)不斷衍生，

對(duì)自然環(huán)境出現(xiàn)了越來越多的威脅，

比以往任何時(shí)候更重要的是

科學(xué)家應(yīng)當(dāng)關(guān)注考量所有的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)危害。

對(duì)于我們來說應(yīng)當(dāng)牢記

那些種植在后院的植物

或許會(huì)影響到另外一個(gè)半球的生態(tài)系統(tǒng)。