珊瑚的培養

河北 閆思思

珊瑚是地球上最古老的海洋生物之一，由于環境污染，全球珊瑚種類及數量急劇減少。 本文介紹了珊瑚培養的最新研究，從研究內容、研究過程和研究意義等方面對珊瑚的培養進行了說明。

題材體裁人與自然說明文344★★★★文章詞數難度建議用時6分鐘

Studying corals usually requires either observing them alive in the ocean or examining their dead tissue in a laboratory. But new research offers a way to keep all coral cell types alive in a lab culture for two weeks or longer, opening novel experimental possibilities.

The cells of cnidarians (刺胞動物) are difficult to culture. These cells are easily damaged during extraction (提取), and corals also have complex microbiomes that are tricky to wipe out with antibiotics—but if left alive, the microbes often take over cell cultures.

Many cnidarians are both endangered and critical for marine ecosystem health. “We need to do more than just document their death,” said University of Miami marine biologist Nikki Traylor-Knowles,who is the senior author of a new study in Scientific Reports.In it,her team details how to reduce a coral to its constituent cells and then grow them all together—like cultivating the animal on a plate.

The researchers made slight changes to a standard growth medium (made of seawater, chemicals and antibiotics) to reach ideal formulas (公式) for two different cnidarian species. These formulas let all the tested species' cell types grow at once, without irrelevant microbes. The new methodology will bring unparalleled visibility into how cell types interact, Traylor-Knowles said, and it will allow for higher-volume experiments without raising or killing whole animals.

Scientists do not yet understand all cnidarian cell types, let alone their functions. These cultures could show how different cells respond to stressors, which types are most vulnerable to health failures—and possibly where cnidarians get their impressive regenerative abilities.

The study is groundbreaking, said molecular biologist Juris Grasis of the University of California,Merced, who was not involved with the paper but also studies cnidarians. He said he was “jealous as hell” when he saw the result. Some cell populations survived for as long as 30 days, he noted—which bodes well for the possibility of scaling up cell reproduction for future research. Next up, Grasis said,“How do we translate this back into the field and make corals healthy again?”

Reading Check

1. What is the new research on studying corals?

A. Scientists can study corals by examining their dead tissue in a lab.

B. Scientists can study corals by observing them alive in the ocean.

C. Scientists can study corals by adopting new scientific methods.

D. Scientists can study corals by keeping them alive in a lab.

2. Why is it important to culture corals?

A. Because corals are easily damaged.

B. Because it is important to reduce a coral to cells.

C. Because corals are important to the ecosystem underwater.

D. Because the microbiomes of corals are difficult to remove.

3. How did the researchers cultivate corals?

A. By perfecting culturing formulas.B. By interacting with cells of the corals.

C. By clearing the seawater.D. By culturing antibiotics.

4. What can be inferred from Juris Grasis?

A. He felt jealous of the progress.

B. He thought the study was a great breakthrough.

C. He thought it difficult to go on the future research.

D. He had a better understanding of the functions of the study.

Language Study

Theme-centered chunks

novel adj. 新穎的

culture v. 培養（細胞或細菌）

tricky adj. 棘手的

take over 接管

critical adj. 關鍵的

document v. 記錄

reduce...to 使陷入(更壞的)境地

cultivate v. 培養

allow for 考慮到；允許有

let alone 更不用說

respond to 對……作出反應

vulnerable adj. 易受傷害的

scale up 擴大