VOA科学技术2023--Scientists: Red Sea Corals Threatened by Mass Sea Urchin Die-off

Scientists: Red Sea Corals Threatened by Mass Sea Urchin¹ Die-off

Researchers said recently that sea urchins² in Israel's Gulf³ of Eilat have been dying off at a concerning rate. A sea urchin is a small sea animal that lives on the ocean floor and is covered in sharp points.

The development in the gulf, also known as the Gulf of Aqaba, threatens the Red Sea's prized coral reef ecosystem⁴. An ecosystem is everything that exists in an environment.

Tel Aviv University scientists say an unknown pathogen is killing⁵ off the black sea urchin, scientifically known as Diadema setosum. The scientists said the massive die-off first began in the eastern Mediterranean⁶ Sea. From there, it has spread to the neighboring Red Sea.

The black sea urchin is very important to keeping a healthy reef ecosystem. Without them, small plants called algae⁷ grow unchecked. That can suppress and kill corals and compromise the balance of the reef ecosystem.

A paper including the findings was published in the Royal Society Open Science.

"It's a fast and violent death: within just two days a healthy sea urchin becomes a skeleton with massive tissue loss," said Oren Bronstein. He is a biologist at Tel Aviv University and lead writer on several papers on sea urchin deaths.

He added that they have ruled out localized poisoning or pollution. They instead suspect a quickly spreading epidemic⁸ caused by an as-yet-unidentified pathogen.

Last month, researchers in the United States identified a single-celled parasite⁹ responsible for a similar mass die-off of sea urchins in the Caribbean. It destroyed reef ecosystems¹⁰ there.

The Israeli researchers believe a similar pathogen might also be responsible for killing sea urchins in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. They have called for urgent action by the Nature and Park Authority to protect Israel's already endangered reef ecosystems.

Ian Hewson is a professor at Cornell University's Marine¹¹ Mass Mortality Lab who was not involved in the Tel Aviv University study. He said this new outbreak of disease is a deep concern.

He added that it "would be interesting to know if the same agent is at work" in the Mediterranean as has been identified killing sea urchins in the Caribbean. And he said if that is the case, it will raise questions about how the disease traveled between organisms in such distant sites.

The Gulf of Eilat is a part of the Red Sea surrounded by Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. It is home to coral reefs that scientists believe might be more resistant¹² to warming waters resulting from human-caused climate change.

Words in This Story

coral reef – n. a long line of coral that lies in warm, shallow water

pathogen – n. something (such as a type of bacteria or a virus) that causes disease

 

parasite – n. an animal or plant that lives in or on another animal or plant and gets food or protection from it

1 urchin   

n.顽童；海胆

参考例句：

• You should sheer off the urchin.你应该躲避这顽童。
• He is a most wicked urchin.他是个非常调皮的顽童。

2 urchins   

n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆

参考例句：

• Some dozen barefooted urchins ganged in from the riverside. 几十个赤足的顽童从河边成群结队而来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• People said that he had jaundice and urchins nicknamed him "Yellow Fellow." 别人说他是黄胆病，孩子们也就叫他“黄胖”了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

7 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

8 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

9 parasite   

n.寄生虫；寄生菌；食客

参考例句：

• The lazy man was a parasite on his family.那懒汉是家里的寄生虫。
• I don't want to be a parasite.I must earn my own way in life.我不想做寄生虫，我要自己养活自己。

10 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

11 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

12 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。