Section outline

  • General

    Collapse all Expand all

  • 近效药的重要性

    A sea otter floating on its back in water, showing its playful nature.

    What do sea otters eat?
    ::海燕吃什么?

    Sea otters are known for being playful and frisky. They are serious eaters, however! A major part of a sea otter's diet are , such as sea urchins . They manage to eat the soft part of the sea urchins while avoiding the huge sea urchin spines.
    ::众所周知,海燕以玩耍和嬉皮士闻名。但是,它们是严重的食肉动物。海燕饮食的一大部分是海燕,比如海胆。它们可以吃海胆的软部分,同时避免海胆的巨型脊椎。

    Importance of Echinoderms
    ::近效药的重要性

    Echinoderms are important for the . They are also a source of food and medicine for humans.
    ::近效药对人体很重要,它们也是人类食物和药品的来源。

    Ecological Role
    ::生态生态作用

    Echinoderms play numerous ecological roles. Sand dollars and sea cucumbers burrow into the sand, providing more oxygen at greater depths of the sea floor. This allows more organisms to live there. In addition, starfish prevent the growth of on coral reefs . This allows the coral to filter-feed more easily. And many sea cucumbers provide a habitat for parasites such as crabs, worms, and snails.
    ::生态生态作用是多种多样的。沙子和海参钻进沙子中,在更深的海底提供更多氧气。这让更多的生物得以生存在那里。此外,海星防止了珊瑚礁的生长,使珊瑚更容易过滤。许多海参为螃蟹、蠕虫和蜗牛等寄生虫提供了栖息地。

    Echinoderms are also an important step in the ocean . Echinoderms are the staple diet of many , including the sea otter. On the other hand, echinoderms eat seaweed and keep its growth in check. Recall that the sea urchin is a grazer, mainly feeding on algae on the coral and rocks. Recently, some ecosystems have been overrun by seaweed. Excess seaweed can destroy entire reefs. Scientists believe that the extinction of large quantities of echinoderms has caused this destruction ( Figure ).
    ::食用杂草也是海洋中的一个重要步骤。 食用杂草是许多动物的主食,包括海洋水母。 另一方面,食用食用海藻并控制其生长。 回顾海胆是一种食草动物,主要食用珊瑚和岩石上的藻类。最近,一些生态系统被海藻覆盖。过量的海藻可以摧毁整个珊瑚礁。 科学家们认为大量食用杂草的灭绝造成了这种破坏(图 )。

    A sea urchin with long spines observed on a sandy surface.

    A large die-off of the sea urchin, Diadema antillarum, coincided with increases in algal growth in some areas but not others.
    ::海胆(Diadema anallarum)大量死亡的同时,一些地区的藻类增长增加,而其他地区则没有增加。

    Echinoderms as Food
    ::以食用为食 食 食 食 食 食 食 食

    In some countries, echinoderms are considered delicacies. Around 50,000 tons of sea urchins are captured each year for food. They are consumed mostly in Japan, Peru, Spain and France. Both male and female gonads of sea urchins are also consumed. The taste is described as soft and melting, like a mixture of seafood and fruit . Sea cucumbers are considered a delicacy in some southeastern Asian countries. In China they are used as a basis for gelatinous soups and stews.
    ::在一些国家,食用蛋白质,每年捕获约5万吨海胆作为食物,主要在日本、秘鲁、西班牙和法国消费,同时消费海胆的雄性和雌性动物,口味软和融化,如海鲜和水果混合。在一些东南亚国家,海参被视为食用。在中国,海参被用作凝胶汤和炖料的基础。

    Echinoderms as Medicine
    ::以近效药品方式使用近效药品

    Echinoderms are also used as medicine and in scientific research. For example, some sea cucumber toxins slow down the growth rate of tumor , so there is an interest in using these in research.
    ::例如,一些海参毒素减慢了肿瘤的生长速度,因此人们有兴趣在研究中使用这些毒素。

    Sea urchins are also model organisms used in developmental biology research. Sea urchins have been used to study the mechanisms of and egg activation, physiological processes that occur during early , and the regulation of differentiation in the early embryo . In addition, the molecular basis of early development was studied in sea urchins. Gametes can be obtained easily, sterility is not required, and the eggs and early embryos of many commonly used are beautifully transparent. In addition, the early development of sea urchin embryos is a highly conserved process. When a batch of eggs is fertilized, all of the resulting embryos typically develop at the same time. This makes biochemical and molecular studies of early embryos possible in the sea urchin, and has led to a number of major discoveries.
    ::海胆也是用于发展生物学研究的模型生物;海胆被用来研究早期的卵的机制和蛋的活化、生理过程和早期胚胎的分化规范;此外,对早期发育的分子基础进行了研究;可以很容易地获得海胆;不要求不育;许多常用的卵和早期胚胎都非常透明;此外,海胆胚胎的早期发育是一个高度保护的过程;当一批卵被施肥时,所有由此产生的胚胎通常都在同时发育;这使得海胆有可能对早期胚胎进行生物化学和分子研究,并导致若干重大发现。

    Echinoderms in Farming
    ::农耕中的杂草杂草

    The hard skeleton of echinoderms is used as a source of lime by farmers in some areas where limestone is unavailable. Lime is added to the soil to allow plants to take up more nutrients . About 4,000 tons of the animals are used each year for this purpose.
    ::在一些没有石灰石的地区,农民将石灰的硬骨骼作为石灰的来源,将石灰添加到土壤中,使植物能够吸收更多的养分,每年为此目的使用大约4 000吨动物。

    Summary
    ::摘要

    • Echinoderms are an important part of the ocean food chain, keeping seaweed in check as grazers and serving as food sources for animals like otters.
      ::生态卫生是海洋食物链的重要组成部分,使海草保持作为食草动物的戒备,并成为水等动物的食物来源。
    • Echinoderms are used as food, medicine, and a source of lime for farmers.
      ::杂草被用作农民的食物、药品和石灰的原料。

    Explore More
    ::探索更多

    Use the resource below to answer the questions that follow.
    ::利用以下资源回答以下问题。

    • Smart Polymer Inspired by Sea Cucumbers at (0:59)
      ::由海参(0:59)激励的智能聚合体
    1. What characteristics of the sea cucumbers inspired scientists to use them to develop new polymers?
      ::海洋黄瓜的哪些特点激励科学家利用黄瓜开发新的聚合物?
    2. Why do scientists feel these new polymers may be useful for medical implants?
      ::为什么科学家觉得这些新的聚合物 对医疗植入物有用?

    Review
    ::回顾

    1. How are sand dollars important to the ecosystem?
      ::沙子美元对生态系统有什么意义?
    2. What role do echinoderms play in the food chain?
      ::科技在食物链中扮演什么角色?
    3. How has the sea urchin been used in research?
      ::海胆是如何用于研究的?