Scientists say they have successfully reproduced corals to improve their resistance to warmer ocean temperatures.
科学家表示，他们已经成功繁殖珊瑚，以提高它们对海洋温度升高的抵抗力。
The latest effort is one of many that seeks to prevent major coral destruction events known as bleaching. The scientists blame the bleaching on ocean warming caused by climate change.
最新的努力是旨在防止被称为白化的重大珊瑚破坏事件的众多努力之一。科学家们将白化归咎于气候变化引起的海洋变暖。
Coral bleaching happens when the small ocean animals react to climate pressures by releasing algae organisms that provide them with energy and give them their color. If the bleaching is severe and long-lasting, corals can get sick and die.
当小型海洋动物通过释放藻类生物来应对气候压力时，就会发生珊瑚白化，这些藻类生物为它们提供能量并赋予它们颜色。如果白化严重且持续时间较长，珊瑚就会生病甚至死亡。
Scientists and environmental officials have warned major bleaching events are currently affecting ocean coral collections in many areas across the world. Many researchers link the continued warming of Earth’s oceans to climate changes related to human activities.
科学家和环境官员警告说，重大白化事件目前正在影响世界许多地区的海洋珊瑚收藏。许多研究人员将地球海洋的持续变暖与人类活动引起的气候变化联系起来。
In April, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and International Coral Reef Initiative said at least 53 countries, territories, or local economies reported ongoing bleaching events since February 2023.
4 月，美国国家海洋和大气管理局 (NOAA) 和国际珊瑚礁倡议表示，自 2023 年 2 月以来，至少有 53 个国家、地区或地方经济体报告了持续的白化事件。
The latest research aimed to reproduce corals that can become more resistant to warm ocean temperatures. To do this, the researchers used a method known as selective breeding. Scientists have long used this method to produce animals and plants with more desirable characteristics .
最新的研究旨在繁殖能够更耐受温暖海洋温度的珊瑚。为此，研究人员使用了一种称为选择性育种的方法。科学家们长期以来一直使用这种方法来生产具有更理想特性的动植物。
This process can produce living things that are better able to deal with, or tolerate, different environmental conditions. Selective breeding is now a main method used by scientists to study how the process can prevent ocean warming from killing off corals.
这个过程可以产生能够更好地应对或容忍不同环境条件的生物。选择性育种现在是科学家用来研究如何防止海洋变暖导致珊瑚死亡的主要方法。
The new research was led by scientists at Britain’s Newcastle University. The team recently reported their findings in a study appearing in the publication Nature Communications . The study said their selective breeding methods resulted in improved heat tolerance of adult corals, even within a single generation.
这项新研究由英国纽卡斯尔大学的科学家领导。该团队最近在《自然通讯》杂志上发表的一项研究中报告了他们的发现。该研究称，他们的选择性繁殖方法提高了成年珊瑚的耐热性，甚至在一代内也是如此。
Scientists have for years been observing corals that show more heat-resistant qualities. These corals are used as the parents for new corals.
多年来，科学家们一直在观察表现出更耐热品质的珊瑚。这些珊瑚被用作新珊瑚的父母。
The researchers said their experiments showed that breeding heat-tolerant characteristics into different corals could be a useful tool “to improve population resilience .” However, the team noted the method would likely not be enough by itself to effectively protect corals. This is because increasingly intense ocean warming is expected to continue if additional steps are not taken to reduce the worldwide effects of climate change.
研究人员表示，他们的实验表明，在不同的珊瑚中培育耐热特性可能是“提高种群恢复能力”的有用工具。然而，研究小组指出，这种方法本身可能不足以有效保护珊瑚。这是因为，如果不采取额外措施减少气候变化对全球的影响，预计海洋变暖将继续加剧。
The scientists noted, therefore, that methods to reproduce heat-resistant corals must be a part of overall efforts that require “urgent climate action.”
因此，科学家们指出，繁殖耐热珊瑚的方法必须成为需要“紧急气候行动”的整体努力的一部分。
The research team’s experiments were carried out during a five-year project launched by Newcastle’s James Guest. The effort received financial support from the European Research Council.
该研究小组的实验是在纽卡斯尔大学的詹姆斯·盖斯特发起的一个为期五年的项目中进行的。这项工作得到了欧洲研究理事会的财政支持。
The team said it carried out selective breeding tests involving two different characteristics. The first sought to improve the tolerance to the release of a short, intense heat event – over 10 days with a temperature rise of 3.5 degrees Celsius. The second tested results for a less intense, but long-term temperature rise of 2.5 degrees Celsius over one month.
该团队表示，他们进行了涉及两种不同特征的选择性育种测试。第一个目标是提高对短暂、强烈高温事件释放的耐受力——10天以上温度升高3.5摄氏度。第二次测试的结果是，一个月内气温升高了 2.5 摄氏度，但强度较小，但长期持续。
The study found that “selecting parent colonies for high rather than low heat tolerance increased the tolerance of adult offspring." The result was observed for corals experiencing either a short, intense heat event or a long-term temperature rise.
研究发现，“选择高耐热性而不是低耐热性的亲代群体可以提高成年后代的耐受性。”这一结果是在珊瑚经历短暂、强烈的高温事件或长期温度上升时观察到的。
The team estimated that about 25 percent of the increased heat tolerance was linked to genes passed down from parents of the corals. These genes can also be influenced by other selective breeding methods to produce heat-tolerance characteristics, the researchers said.
研究小组估计，大约 25% 的耐热性增强与珊瑚父母遗传下来的基因有关。研究人员说，这些基因也可能受到其他选择性育种方法的影响，以产生耐热特性。
Newcastle researcher Liam Lachs helped lead the study. He said in a statement the research clearly demonstrated that selective breeding can be a valuable tool in improving the health of corals influenced by warming oceans. However, he noted the tested methods are not a complete solution and that “more research is needed to maximize ” breeding results.
纽卡斯尔研究员利亚姆·拉克斯 (Liam Lachs) 帮助领导了这项研究。他在一份声明中表示，这项研究清楚地表明，选择性育种可以成为改善受海洋变暖影响的珊瑚健康的宝贵工具。然而，他指出，经过测试的方法并不是完整的解决方案，“需要更多的研究来最大化”育种结果。
The researchers said they plan next to lead efforts to carry out large experiments on corals in the wild to confirm the study results. These efforts would involve seeding selectively bred corals directly on ocean reefs , or deploying corals raised in a laboratory.
研究人员表示，他们下一步计划主导对野外珊瑚进行大型实验，以证实研究结果。这些努力将包括直接在海洋珊瑚礁上播种选择性繁殖的珊瑚，或部署在实验室饲养的珊瑚。