揭密海底山脉生物的神秘之处
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2010-09-21 03:29 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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They challenge the mountain ranges of the Alps, the Andes and the Himalayas in size yet surprisingly little is known about seamounts, the vast mountains hidden under the world's oceans. Now in a special issue of Marine1 Ecology scientists uncover the mystery of life on these submerged(水下的) mountain ranges and reveal why these under studied ecosystems2 are under threat. The bathymetry(海洋测深学) of our oceans is now resolved at a scale and detail unimaginable by early pioneers and recent estimates suggest that, globally, there may be up to 100,000 seamounts, yet despite best efforts less than 300 have been well studied. Recognising this scarcity3(不足,缺乏) of knowledge provided the motivation CenSeam, a seamount-focused field within the Census4 of Marine Life which commenced in 2005.

"The field of seamount ecology is rife5 with ecological6 paradigms7, many of which have already become cemented in the scientific literature and in the minds of advocates for seamount protection," said Dr Ashley Rowden, one of the principal investigators8 of CenSeam. "Together, these paradigms have created a widely held view of seamounts as unique environments, hotspots of biodiversity with fragile ecosystems of exceptional ecological worth."

The special issue puts major paradigms in seamount ecology under the microscope to assess their status against the weight of existing evidence to date, and against the backdrop of the latest findings.

Researchers challenged the theory that seamounts act as hotspots of species richness, the weight of evidence now suggests that seamounts may have comparable levels of diversity and endemism(特有现象) to continental9 margins10. However, it appears that their ecological communities are distinct in structure, and of higher biomass than neighbouring continental margins.

The geographical11 differences between seamount communities have suggested limited larval(幼虫的,潜在的) dispersal, local speciation, geographic12 isolation13, or a combination of all these processes. New genetic14 research presented in the special issue addresses these themes, documenting complex patterns of connectivity among species populations that depend on spatial15 scale, physical barriers, and life history characteristics.

Much seamount research has been born out of the need to better manage these potentially vulnerable ecosystems. Globally, seamount ecosystems are under pressure from bottom-contact fishing and other human-related impacts. Researchers detail the footprint of trawling(拖网作业) and a risk assessment16 confirms what has long been suspected: seamount communities are highly vulnerable to disturbance17 by bottom trawling and recovery from fishing impacts is a lengthy18 process, likely requiring decades at a minimum.

A predicted shallowing of the aragonite(霰石) saturation19(饱和,浸透) horizon caused by ocean acidification(酸化) is expected to place deepwater corals at risk, but researchers pose that the summits and upper flanks of seamounts may yet provide a spatial refuge from these impacts.

"It is hoped" says Thomas Schlacher, lead editor of the volume "that the papers in this special issue will challenge some of the previously20 held concepts about seamount ecosystems, and hopefully stimulate21 and help guide future research endeavours both on seamounts, and across the wider deep-sea realm."



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1 marine 77Izo     
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。
2 ecosystems 94cb0e40a815bea1157ac8aab9a5380d     
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
3 scarcity jZVxq     
n.缺乏,不足,萧条
参考例句:
  • The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
  • The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。
4 census arnz5     
n.(官方的)人口调查,人口普查
参考例句:
  • A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
  • The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。
5 rife wXRxp     
adj.(指坏事情)充斥的,流行的,普遍的
参考例句:
  • Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
  • Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。
6 ecological IrRxX     
adj.生态的,生态学的
参考例句:
  • The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
  • Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.
7 paradigms 07d45d08daccd0678b35de9922b5c9a5     
n.(一词的)词形变化表( paradigm的名词复数 );范例;样式;模范
参考例句:
  • Evolution of 3 paradigms in modern karst study is reviewed. 回顾了近代岩溶学三种“范式”的更替历史。 来自互联网
  • LMT provides 8 types of Learning-Map and the paradigms of each type. 学习导图技术提出了八种类型的学习导图,并分别给出图形范例加以说明。 来自互联网
8 investigators e970f9140785518a87fc81641b7c89f7     
n.调查者,审查者( investigator的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
  • The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 continental Zazyk     
adj.大陆的,大陆性的,欧洲大陆的
参考例句:
  • A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
  • The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。
10 margins 18cef75be8bf936fbf6be827537c8585     
边( margin的名词复数 ); 利润; 页边空白; 差数
参考例句:
  • They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
  • To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙,加左或者右的margins来定义链接。
11 geographical Cgjxb     
adj.地理的;地区(性)的
参考例句:
  • The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
  • These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。
12 geographic tgsxb     
adj.地理学的,地理的
参考例句:
  • The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
13 isolation 7qMzTS     
n.隔离,孤立,分解,分离
参考例句:
  • The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
  • He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后,生活比较孤寂。
14 genetic PgIxp     
adj.遗传的,遗传学的
参考例句:
  • It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
  • Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。
15 spatial gvcww     
adj.空间的,占据空间的
参考例句:
  • This part of brain judges the spatial relationship between objects.大脑的这部分判断物体间的空间关系。
  • They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
16 assessment vO7yu     
n.评价;评估;对财产的估价,被估定的金额
参考例句:
  • This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
  • What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何?
17 disturbance BsNxk     
n.动乱,骚动;打扰,干扰;(身心)失调
参考例句:
  • He is suffering an emotional disturbance.他的情绪受到了困扰。
  • You can work in here without any disturbance.在这儿你可不受任何干扰地工作。
18 lengthy f36yA     
adj.漫长的,冗长的
参考例句:
  • We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
  • The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。
19 saturation wCTzQ     
n.饱和(状态);浸透
参考例句:
  • The company's sales are now close to saturation in many western countries.这家公司的产品销售量在许多西方国家已接近饱和。
  • Road traffic has reached saturation point.公路交通已达到饱和点。
20 previously bkzzzC     
adv.以前,先前(地)
参考例句:
  • The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
  • Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
21 stimulate wuSwL     
vt.刺激,使兴奋;激励,使…振奋
参考例句:
  • Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
  • Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。
TAG标签: mountain research ecology
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