[ti:Researchers Use Sounds to Call Fish Back to Dead Coral] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.16]A team of scientists says that playing sounds underwater [00:05.80]can get fish to return to areas with severely damaged coral reefs. [00:13.12]In an experiment, they found fish returned [00:18.28]after hearing recordings of the sounds of a healthy ocean reef. [00:24.44]The international team included scientists [00:29.32]from the British universities of Exeter and Bristol, [00:34.04]as well as Australia's James Cook University. [00:38.56]The research results were reported in the publication Nature Communications. [00:46.84]The scientists placed underwater speakers in areas [00:52.28]where coral had been dying in Australia's northern Great Barrier Reef. [00:58.72]They played the sounds over a period of about a six weeks in 2017 and studied the results. [01:08.08]The team reported that twice as many fish arrived in areas [01:14.00]where the sounds of healthy coral were played. [01:18.96]The sounds also led to a 50 percent increase in the number of [01:23.96]species present in the area, the researchers found. [01:28.84]Among the arriving fish were species that feed on all major food sources. [01:36.24]The researchers noted the importance of having many different kinds of fish return to the area. [01:45.72]Different species of fish perform many activities [01:49.64]that support the ocean environment and sea life. [01:54.36]"Damaged reefs have a higher chance of recovery [01:59.44]if they have healthy fish populations," the scientists wrote in the report. [02:06.12]Steve Simpson is a professor at the University of Exeter who helped lead the research. [02:15.20]He said in a statement that "healthy coral reefs are remarkably noisy places." [02:23.12]They contain the sounds of many kinds of shrimp, fish and other sea creatures. [02:30.72]Young fish listen for these sounds when they are looking for a place to settle, Simpson said. [02:38.64]He added that reefs "become ghostly quiet" when they suffer destruction [02:45.08]that is usually related to human-caused pollution. [02:49.72]Coral damage can cause unappealing smells and sounds that drive shrimp and fish away. [02:58.60]But the experiment suggested that the use of underwater loudspeakers [03:04.24]was an effective way to get young fish to come back. [03:09.36]Mark Meekan is a fish biologist with the Australian Institute of Marine Science. [03:17.04]He said in a statement that the return of these fish is the first step [03:23.08]to seeing major improvements in reef health. [03:27.48]"Recovery is underpinned by fish that clean the reef and create space for corals to regrow," he said. [03:37.64]Tim Gordon was another member of the research team from the University of Exeter. [03:46.52]He says he believes sound can be used to bring back dead coral [03:51.76]in areas suffering major destruction in oceans across the world. [03:58.80]"Boosting fish populations in this way could help to kick-start natural recovery processes, [04:07.16]counteracting the damage we're seeing on many coral reefs around the world," Gordon said. [04:14.84]University of Bristol professor Andy Radford said the underwater sounds [04:21.88]are a promising way to fight coral reef damage at the local community level. [04:28.48]But he noted that other threats need to be reduced as well. [04:34.20]These include climate change, pollution and overfishing. [04:39.88]Gordon added, "From local management innovations to international political action, [04:47.72]we need meaningful progress at all levels to paint a better future for reefs worldwide." [04:57.00]I'm Bryan Lynn. [04:59.36]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM