世上所有的海洋中，热带地区的 温暖海水拥有最丰富 ln all the seas of the world the warm waters of the tropics contain the richest
也最多采多姿的社群 and the most colourful communities
珊瑚礁 Coral reefs
它们看来像是海底的天堂 They may seem like underwater paradise,
但其实是长期的战场 为空间而战 but they are perpetual battle grounds... for space
即使是珊瑚都必须加入战争 Even the corals have to fight for it
在这拥挤狂乱的聚落中，每个生物 都必须找到自己的空间 ln this crowded, frenetic community every individual has to find its own place,
自己的生存之道 its own way of surviving
但若没有珊瑚 其他生物就无法生存 But none of these creatures would be here if it were not for the coral
珊瑚幼虫漂流在 有年轻礁石动物的海水中 A coral larva drifts in the open sea floating in a soup of young reef animals
若其中之一找到合适的地点 并存活了下来 lf just one of these coral larvae settles in a suitable spot
新的珊瑚礁就会形成 and survives a new reef will be founded
几天内幼虫就转变型态 成为与海葵相似的珊瑚虫 ln just a few days the larva changes form and becomes a polyp,
相同的复制品萌生 similar to a sea anemone
渐渐地就形成了一个聚落 ldentical copies bud off and gradually a colony develops
每一只珊瑚虫 以坚硬的骨骼环绕自己 Each polyp surrounds itself with a hard skeleton
然后由这稳固的基础开始生长 and from this solid base begins to grow
每年以惊人的15公分速度成长 lt increases in length by an impressive fifteen centimetres a year
这个发纒的珊瑚只有两岁 一个成熟的珊瑚礁可达数千岁 This branching coral is only two years old - a mature reef can be thousands
珊瑚提供了 整个礁脉聚落依赖的基础 Corals provide the foundations on which the entire reef community relies
有些生物如圣诞树虫 实际上就住在珊瑚里 Some organisms, like the Christmas Tree Worms actually live within the coral
有些则回从礁石中爬出 到水中过滤它们的食物 Others climb out, away from the reef, to filter their food from the water
聚落成长造成亲密的互惠关系 As the community grows intimate relationships are formed
各种生物逐渐彼此依赖 and different creatures become increasingly dependent on one another
即使经常悠游于海水中的动物 Even animals that spend much of their time
也会回到礁石完成清洁的动作 travelling in the open ocean return to the reef for a clean
珊瑚礁是数以万计鱼类的家 Corals reefs can be home to astounding numbers of fish
这里有着海中最大和最小的鱼 Here swim the smallest and the largest fish in the sea
鲸鲨只是这儿的访客 Whale sharks are only visitors
当水流带来深海的滋养物时 它们会到此觅食 When currents bring nutrient-rich water up from the deep, they come here to feed
所有在此的动物 都是为珊瑚而来 All these animals are here because of the coral
这个格外复杂的迷宫 This extraordinary complex maze is built layer upon layer
是由成千上万的珊瑚虫 一层一层地堆积而成 by millions and millions of individual animals - polyps
每个珊瑚虫的肉身 是靠石灰岩骨骼支撑 Each polyp's flesh is supported by a limestone skeleton
内脏以下 Below the gut...
才是真正会成长部位 ...is the place where most of the growth occurs
活的组织在此放置了 一个复杂的石灰石结构 Here, the living tissue deposits an intricate lattice of limestone
其下被活珊瑚组织掏空的 Beneath that, the limestone skeleton is bare,
石灰石骨骼裸露在外 having been vacated by the living coral tissues
这是组成礁石底部的坚硬结构 This is the hard structure that forms the foundation of the reef
一个礁石可延展数里 and a single reef can extend for many miles
珊瑚礁只能在热带 干净温暖的浅滩处发现 Coral reefs are only found in the clear, warm shallow waters of the tropics
即使它们是动物 阳光对于它们仍极为重要 Sunlight is vital to them, even though they are animals,
因为它们的肉身中 住着数百万的单细胞藻类植物 because inside their flesh live millions of tiny single-celled algae - plants
而所有植物须 靠阳光进行光合作用 And all plants need sunlight to photosynthesise sugars
珊瑚所需的食物中 98%是由海藻制造的 Ninety eight per cent of the food that corals consume is produced by the algae
没有它们礁岩就无法存在 Without them the reef would not exist
像其他植物一样 海藻需要适量的阳光 Like any other plant, algae need just the right amount of light,
不能太多也不能太少 not too much, not too little
珊瑚以颜色来控制光线 The corals regulate that with pigments that we can only see
它们身上有着紫外线 才显示得出的色素 when they are illuminated by ultraviolet light
多数珊瑚白天会躲在 它们的岩石堡垒中受保护 Most corals for protection spend the day withdrawn into their stony fortresses
但如此它们也免不了 被这些蝴蝶鱼攻击的危险 But even then they are not safe from the jaws of these butterfly fish
珊瑚会在夜晚进入海水中 伸展触须同时觅食 At night the corals take in water, expand their tentacles and emerge to feed
它们采集浮游生物 They collect plankton
每一个触手都有刺激性的细胞 会在接触时出击 Each tentacle has batteries of stinging cells, which fire on contact
猎物到手后 会被放入珊瑚虫的嘴里 Once the prey is caught, it's passed down to the polyp's mouth
夜晚当珊瑚虫伸展时 lt's at night, when the polyps are extended,
它们会增大其下的石灰岩组织 that they add to the limestone foundations beneath them
珊瑚无可避免的成长超过彼此的范围 这代表了争斗 lnevitably, the corals begin to overgrow each other and that means trouble
当邻居变得太靠近 它们靠化学反应来侦测彼此 When neighbours get too close, they detect one another's presence chemically
右边的侵略者准备迎战 The aggressor on the right prepares for battle
珊瑚虫吐出内脏 直接消化它们的对手 The polyps extrude their guts and simply digest their rivals alive
一个无人地带 这排白石灰岩 A no man's land, a band of white skeleton is
是夜间 争斗地盘的唯一证据 the only evidence of the night's border dispute
有些珊瑚被更致命的掠食者 当成目标 Some corals are targeted by yet more deadly predators
可以爬行找寻猎物的掠食者 Predators that can crawl in search of their victims
棘冠海星 具毒性的无敌掠食机器 Crown of thorns starfish, poisonous, invincible eating machines
它们也会吐出内脏 将珊瑚整个消化 They also extrude their gut and digest coral wholesale
但有些珊瑚会得到奥 But some corals have help
住在分纒中的小螃蟹 Small crabs living within their branches resist
抗拒这些突击 保卫它们的家园 these onslaughts and defend their home
它们从海星脆弱的底部 发动攻击 From beneath they launch an attack on the vulnerable underside of the starfish
即使棘冠也需从 如此坚定的攻击中退 Even the crown of thorns will retreat from such a determined attack
而珊瑚则毫发无伤 and this coral is left unharmed
长达1.5公尺的巨头鹦鹉鱼 Humphead parrotfish - nearly a metre and a half in length
它们强而有力的嘴能咬破石头 Their jaws are so powerful they can bite through rock
它们下沉觅食时 就连礁岩也受到威胁 When they descend to feed the reef itself is under threat
它们无所不吃，为了摄食海藻 They are indiscriminate feeders, taking both rock and coral
他们也能因此吃下岩石及珊瑚 alike in their quest for algae
这些鱼必须为礁岩的腐蚀 负极大责任 These fish play a large part in the erosion of the reef
它们吞下的岩石及珊瑚 最后变成一堆细沙 The rock and coral they swallow emerges later as a fine sand
它们每年可从单一礁岩中 制造许多吨沙 On a single reef they can produce tonnes of it every year
这些细沙组成了 令人着迷的热带海滩 This soft sand forms the tropical beaches that we find so alluring
时间一久这些沙组成一个小岛 Over time the sand builds up to form an island,
成为动植物的繁衍聚落 which is then colonised by animals and plants
树木生根 鸟来作伴 Trees take root... birds arrive
成千选在这儿筑巢的燕鸥 所制造的粪便 The guano from thousands of terns which have chosen to nest here
肥沃了沙土 好让更多植物能在此生长 enriches the sandy soil, which then can support more plants
但这些燕鸥像其他海鸟一样 靠海中的食物维生 But these terns, like other seabirds, depend on the ocean for their food
水下的礁岩上 不只有生存空间的斗争 Below water on the reef there is not only competition for living space,
还有持续的掠食者 与猎物之间的搏斗 but a continual contest between predators and prey
它们之间的百万年来的角力 lt's the arms race between them that over millions of years
演化成今天 变化多端的各种形体 has produced today's extraordinary diversity of form
梭鱼是礁岩上的重要掠食者 Jacks are one of the key predators on the reef
它们的武器是速度 Their weapon is speed
它们寻找银鱼 防卫的方式是聚集 They seek silversides and their defence is to congregate
闪着银光的困惑鱼群 in confusing shoals of shimmering silver
这些梭鱼试着 将银鱼聚集到礁岩上 The Jacks try to deal with that by herding the silversides onto the reef
在礁岩上，把鱼从鱼群中 Here the Jacks have a better chance
分开的机会较大 of separating individual fish from the shoal
梭鱼现在可以闪电般 抓到被孤立的鱼 The Jacks can now catch the isolated individuals with lightning attacks
隐藏在礁岩上是较安全的 lt's far safer to be hidden on the reef itself,
例如在海绵的穴道中 within the tunnels of a sponge, for example
这些小虾还不及米粒大 These tiny shrimp are no bigger than grains of rice
它们十分独特 These shrimps are unique
最近的究发现 lt's recently been discovered that
它们有很成熟的社交组织 与蜜蜂的相近 they have a highly sophisticated social system, similar to that of bees
所有组织内的成员 皆是单一雌性的后代 All members of the colony are the offspring of one female
她是唯一会产卵的女皇 She is the queen and the only one to produce eggs
就像蜜蜂族群一样 As in a colony of bees,
每一成员都有专门负责的工作 different individuals are specialised for particular tasks
有些是警卫 配有特别大而有力的υ Some are guards and are armed with particularly large and powerful claws
它们随时都在萞备 准备对付入侵者 They are on watch at all times, ready to tackle intruders
一只多毛虫 A polychaete worm
对它而言海绵 是绝佳的狩猎地点 For it a sponge is an excellent hunting ground
在迷宫似的隧道中 攻击可能来自四面八方 ln such a maze of tunnels, attack can come at any time from any quarter
一旦警卫有了警觉 虫就占了下风 Once the guards are alerted the worm loses its advantage
全身而退好过冒险受重伤 Better to retreat intact, than risk serious injury
海绵不只是虾类安全的家 The sponge not only makes a safe home for the shrimps,
它更提供了食物 所以它们从不需外出觅食 it also supplies them with food, so that they never need venture outside
而提供它们所有需求的保证 显然值得善加守护 And establishment that provides for all their needs is clearly well worth defending
虾类守护它们的家 其他动物防御它们的猎食区 Just as shrimps guard their home, other animals defend their hunting grounds
玻璃鱼是令红嘴脂鱼 垂涎的猎物 Glassfish make tempting prey for the redmouth grouper
它的战略是慢慢地 游进它们之中 lts strategy is to swim slowly amongst them
直到它们不再将其视为威胁 until they no longer see it as a threat
这里也有其他的鱼类 There are other fish here, too
狮鱼是伏击掠食者 Lionfish are ambush predators,
慢慢地等待正确的时机 taking their time and watching for the right moment
但此处一山不容二虎 But there isn't room here for two predators
脂鱼挑战狮鱼的有毒背鳍 企图逐退它的对手 The grouper, braving the lionfish's poisonous spines, tries to evict its rival
但狮鱼意志坚定 But lionfish are persistent
这只脂鱼耗费数小时 只为防卫它的小猎食区 This grouper spent many hours simply defending his hunting patch
有些动物尽可能避免争斗 Some animals prefer to avoid conflict whenever possible
这些抓到海星的小丑虾 These harlequin shrimp, having captured a starfish,
要把它带回没有竞争者 及危险的地方 are taking it back to a safe house beyond the reach of competitors and danger
问题是海星有自己的想法 The problem with starfish is that they have minds of their own
和5支大又黏的触手 and five large sticky arms
虾子好不容易弄断触手 另一个新的又重新接合 By the time the shrimps have prised off arm another has reattached itself
只有用计谋将海星翻面 Only by manoeuvring the starfish onto its back
它们才可能占到优势 can they have any hope of gaining the advantage
即使如此 将它搬回家还是个难题 Even so, getting it back home is a major undertaking
海星现在成了活食品储藏室 The starfish is now a living larder
如果它们能菺善保存 这将够它们吃好几天 lf the shrimps can hang onto it, it will feed them for days to come
礁岩的顶端 通常覆盖着一层薄绿藻 The top of the reef is usually covered by a thin layer of green algae,
另一种活食品储藏室 another living larder
许多鱼类必须依赖它 And many fish depend on it
粉吊捍卫它们对 某块区域的觅食权 Powder blue tangs defend their right to graze on a particular patch
但在这么饱和的食物宝库中 竞争是在所难免 But for a larder as well-stocked as this, there is always competition
当一群罪囚粗皮鲷决心加入战局 就没有什么可以阻止它们 When a shoal of convict tangs decide to graze, little can stop them
粉吊想将它们驱离 The powder blue tangs try to keep them off
但是它寡不敌众 根本不是对手 But they are overwhelmed by sheer numbers
数分钟内它的领地 充满藻类碎片 The territory is stripped of algae in minutes
粉吊正在吃败仗 The blue tangs appear to be fighting a losing battle
但它们渐渐取得优势 But eventually they begin to get the upper hand
它们持续不断攻击 直到掠夺者离开为止 They persist with their attacks until the marauders are well on their way
当夜晚来临 一些非常奇怪的动物 When night falls, some very strange creatures
离开巢穴爬到珊瑚礁上 creep out of crevices and crawl over the reef
这一团移动中的树丛其实是动物 它是一只篮海星 This moving bush is an animal - a basket star
它伸出手臂 捕食夜晚中的浮游生物 - which spread out its arms to catch the night's plankton
珊瑚礁变得不寻常地宁静 The reef becomes uncannily tranquil
鱼群尽力躲藏起来，休息去了 Fish retire, hiding themselves where they can
大理石纹鳐现身 猎食埋在沙中的猎物 Marbled rays come out to hunt for prey buried in the sand...
它们会用电极感应受器 来扫描海床 ...using electro-receptors to scan the seabed
它们的活动引来鲨鱼 Their activity attracts sharks
是白点鲨 White tips
在夜间，视力毫无用武之地 鲨鱼则占尽优势 At night, when vision is of little use, sharks have a real advantage
它们还可以用嗅觉 及电极受器来追踪猎物 They can still use both smell and electro-reception to track fish
这些鲨鱼也猎食 隐藏在珊瑚中的鱼类 These sharks are also hunting for fish concealed within the reef
黇长的身形让它们可以挤进 小得惊人的夹缝里 Their slender shape enables them to squeeze through surprisingly narrow gaps
让猎物无处可躲 There is nowhere to hide
在这样的猎食行动中 很少有动物是安全的 Few animals are safe during these feeding frenzies
珊瑚礁动物每晚都要 鉰受这样的袭击 Night after night the reef animals are subjected to these raids
但是在珊瑚礁的生活不只关系到食物 跟性也有关 But life on the reef is not just about food, it's also about sex
这里有许多繁殖的策略 There are many different breeding strategies,
但是每一个都是为了要 让为数最多的幼苗存活下去 but each is aimed at maximising the number of young that will survive
连续两个月，每天下午 可见棕刺鳍鱼 Every afternoon for two months brown surgeonfish
游过红海珊瑚礁 can be seen streaming across reefs in the Red Sea
它们的目的地相同 通常是一些突出的地理构造 They all head for the same place, usually some prominent feature
它们在这里等待天黑 Here, they wait for the light to fade
突然间雌鱼冲离珊瑚礁 Suddenly, females within the group make a dash away
好释放出卵 from the reef to release their eggs
马上就有距离最近 且速度最快的雄鱼跟随 They're immediately followed by the quickest and closest of the males,
它们抢着要让卵受精 all of whom are striving to fertilise the eggs
当然也有其他鱼类来此捡便宜 lnevitably, others come here to feast on such easy food
当刺鳍鱼产卵时 冬鱼也前来享受营养的鱼卵 As the surgeonfish spawn, fusiliers move in above to eat the nutritious eggs
它们只是许多掠食者的第一波 These are just the first of many predators which will feed on the eggs
其他掠食者会在接下来的几个礼拜 抢食这些卵及成长中的幼鱼 and developing larvae as they drift in the ocean during the next few weeks
其他的鱼种就会 比较在意自己的卵了 Other fish are less casual about their eggs
条纹杨纒鱼留在珊瑚礁 上预选的小范围里 Banded pipe fish stay close to a small chosen area on the reef
每天日出时母鱼离开眠床 Every morning at sunrise the female leaves her sleeping site
出游寻找它们伴侣 and swims to find her partner
它们会相处约十分钟 For ten minutes or so they remain together,
重新巩固对亲密关系 极为重要的联系 reaffirming the bond that is essential to their partnership
它们会在雄鱼的领域 游着一种简单的欢迎舞 They swim together around his territory in a simple greeting dance
在夏季里，雌鱼的卵成熟后 Throughout the Summer, when the female's eggs are ripe,
求爱在一早就变的激进 courtship begins in earnest in the early morning
整个过程需要一点时间 两个小时后 lt takes time and after about two hours
它们一起从海床上升起 身体交缠 they rise together off the seabed entwining their bodies
雄鱼用身体与雌鱼摩擦 刺激雌鱼释出鱼卵 The male rubs himself against the female, stimulating her to release her eggs
接着雄鱼迅速抓住鱼卵 And now, swiftly, the male takes them
鱼卵已附着在雄鱼腹部 The eggs, now stuck to his belly,
接着会被往下轻拍 以确定它们牢附不移 are patted down to ensure that they stay there
雌鱼接着离开雄鱼 但是每天早上 The female then leaves him, but every morning
她回来 与雄鱼做同步游泳 she will return for a session of synchronised swimming
以确认并维持它们的关系 and so ensure that their bond is maintained
十天后在夜晚的掩护下 Ten days later, under the cover of darkness,
雄鱼摇摆身体 小杨纒鱼也因而诞生 the male shakes his body and the young pipe fish are born
一直到现在它们才算真正独立 Only now are they independent of their parents
因为雄鱼在鱼卵刚产下时 就负起照护的工作 Since the male takes charge of the eggs as soon as they are laid,
雌鱼可以马上 开始制造下一萯卵 the female can start immediately producing the next batch
如果没有雄鱼的帮助 一对鱼只能每20天产卵一次 Without his help, the pair could only breed every twenty days,
而不是10天 rather than every ten
它们的分工合作 可以让每年出生的 So, by sharing the work, they're doubling the number of young
小鱼数量增加一倍 they can produce in any one year
一只华丽的墨鱼 A flamboyant cuttlefish
这只墨鱼与其他种类不同 它大部分时候 Unlike most cuttlefish, this one spends much of its time
在海床上行走 而不是以喷射方式活动 walking rather than jetting across the seabed
这是一只雄体 This is a male
它正用自己多彩的外观 来诱惑体型较大的雌体 He is using his colourful display to try and seduce the larger female,
但是她似乎并不领情 who seems unimpressed
最后她妞强让步 Eventually, she concedes
最后的一継，精子的传递 为时极短 The final event, the transfer of sperm, is very quick
一只雄性座头鲸正在欢唱 A singing male humpback whale
座头鲸只是珊瑚礁的过客 Humpbacks are only visitors to the reef
怀孕超过一年 After a pregnancy that lasted a whole year
的雌鲸来此生产 抚育新生的幼子 the females come here to give birth and suckle their newly-born young
它们对独生子 所投下的关注是可观的 Their investment in their single offspring is considerable,
每一只雌鲸会持续照顾幼鲸 6到12个月的时间 for each female will continue to nurse it for a further six to twelve months
但是雄鲸是来此交配的 But the males are here to mate
雄鲸以歌唱来建立 彼此间的长幼关系 The lone males sing to establish their relative seniority
歌唱越大声，持续越久 表示雄鲸能力越强 The louder and longer the song, the bigger and stronger the singer
歌唱得越好，体型越大的雄鲸 The better the song, the larger the male,
就越有交配的机会 the more mating opportunities he will get
这些不同的交配策略 目的都是相同的 All these different mating strategies have the same aim,
要确保最高数量的后代 to ensure that the greatest possible number of offspring
存活到可以自行交配时间 will live long enough to breed themselves
珊瑚自己也是有性生殖 但是身体固定在海床上 Corals also reproduce sexually, but being fixed to the seabed,
不能移动寻找伴侣 they can't move to find a mate
所以它们必须将 交配的时间同步化 Somehow, they must synchronise their sexual activity
它们用春天上升的水温 and they do so using the rising water temperatures of Spring
及月象来达到目的 and the phases of the moon
在晚春满月过后几天 A few days after the full moon in late Spring,
在潮汐的力量最微弱时 when tidal currents are at their weakest,
大堡礁的珊瑚准备好要产卵 the corals of the Great Barrier Reef are ready to spawn
有些珊瑚是雄性 所以释出精子雾 Some corals are male and release clouds of sperm
附近有一株雌珊瑚会释出卵子 Nearby, a female will be releasing eggs
有些品种的珊瑚是雌雄同体 Other species of coral are both male and female
它们释出的是 一团团有精子包住的卵子 These release packages of eggs already pre-wrapped in sperm
一团团卵子与精子浮到水面 Bundles of eggs and sperm float to the surface
与来自珊瑚礁其他部位的 卵，精子相互混合 to mix with others from further along the reef
每一种珊瑚都会将交配的时间 精准算在某一个夜晚的某一时刻 Each kind of coral times its release to a certain hour on a certain night
以求达到 最大数量的交互授精 That maximises the chances of cross-fertilisation
受精的卵子漂离珊瑚礁 The fertilised eggs drift away from the reef
暴风雨季，为生活在珊瑚礁 的动物带来真正的危险 The stormy season brings real danger to the animals of the reef
住在加勒比海域的龙虾 察觉到水中的改变 Lobsters in the Caribbean sense a change in the water
水温降低了 强烈的海浪侵袭沙岸 The temperature drops and powerful ocean swells disturb the sand
在黑夜的掩护下它们现身 冒着穿越裸露浅滩的危险 Under the cover of darkness they emerge to run before the storm
要赶在暴风雨前离开 在深水域找新的庇护所 and risk crossing the exposed sand flats to seek shelter in deeper water
它们每年都会踏上这样的旅程 Every year they make this journey
从珊瑚礁的各处前来的龙虾 加入了行进队伍 From all over the reef lobsters come to join the march
它们走在彼此留下的痕迹中 以保存体力 They conserve their energy by travelling in one another's slipstream
群聚的数量 也是额外的安全保障 And there is the added benefit f safety in numbers
在天亮前它们已经抵达深水珊瑚的边缘，还要继续往下走 By daybreak they've reached the edge of the deep reef and down they go
在接下来的暴风季 For the rest of the stormy season
它们会留在深海安全的怀抱 远离伤害 they will remain in the shelter of deep water out of harm's way
有时在暴风季中飓风形成 Sometimes during the stormy season a hurricane builds
此时珊瑚礁本身的 结构就有危险了 and then the very structure of the reef itself is under threat
借由一次强大暴风雨的昶残 整座珊瑚礁可以消灭殆尽 An entire reef can be destroyed by just one big storm
数百年的成果 数小时内毁于一旦 Hundreds of years of growth gone in a few hours
在海洋中，新生命不断成长 Out in the ocean, new life continues to develop
珊瑚幼虫会逐渐回到这里 再度盘据这些粗石 ln time, coral larvae will return to colonise the rubble
新的珊瑚礁 就会重生在这片废土上 and a new reef will grow on the wasteland