ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mike Gil - Marine biologist
TED Fellow Mike Gil conducts field experiments and builds mathematical models to understand how marine ecosystems function.

Why you should listen

Marine biologist, National Geographic Explorer and TED Fellow Mike Gil conducts field experiments and builds mathematical models to understand how marine ecosystems function. This understanding, he says, is crucial for humankind to build a sustainable future. Gil has led research around the world: from coral reefs in the Caribbean, French Polynesia and Southeast Asia, to "microislands" of plastic garbage, teeming with life, in the middle of the Pacific. Currently, Gil uses novel multi-camera systems in the field combined with computer vision technology to explore, at an unprecedented scale and resolution, how coral reef fish behave, socialize and affect entire coral reef ecosystems. Gil's scientific discoveries and his often unorthodox approaches have garnered significant national and international media attention.

In addition to being a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of California, Davis, Gil is also an avid and award-winning science communicator. As a self-described "science-hater turned scientist" from humble beginnings, he is passionate about diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. To this end, Gil founded and runs the nonprofit SciAll.org, which uses free online videos to bring mass public audiences along for the adventures that come with a career in science. Through his research and outreach, Gil aims to deliver a timely message to humanity: science is exhilarating, accessible and in the service of all.

More profile about the speaker
Mike Gil | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2017

Mike Gil: Could fish social networks help us save coral reefs?

麥克 · 蓋爾: 魚類的社交生活有可能協助我們拯救珊瑚礁嗎?

Filmed:
1,010,095 views

麥克 · 蓋爾運用新穎的多攝影機系統和電腦視覺技術來監視魚類。這位 TED 成員和他的同事探索了珊瑚礁魚類的社交行為如何影響他們的生態系統。來進一步了解不同種的魚類如何透過社交網路溝通,以及打破這些網路對於脆弱的珊瑚礁生態可能造成什麼影響──我們有數百萬人及全球經濟都要仰賴珊瑚礁過日子。
- Marine biologist
TED Fellow Mike Gil conducts field experiments and builds mathematical models to understand how marine ecosystems function. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
Who here is fascinated入迷
by life under the sea?
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在座有誰覺得海中的生命很迷人?
00:18
Fantastic奇妙.
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好極了。
00:20
Now, what did we just do?
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我們剛剛做了什麼?
00:22
Let's dissect解剖 this for a second第二.
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咱們先來分析一下這件事。
00:24
The simple簡單 action行動
of an individual個人 raising提高 a hand
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一個人舉起手的這種簡單動作,
00:28
led many許多 others其他 to do the same相同.
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讓許多其他人都跟著做。
00:30
Now, it's true真正 that when individuals個人
in a social社會 network網絡
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的確,若在社交網路中的個人
00:34
have common共同 priorities優先,
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有共同的優先順序,
00:35
it's often經常 beneficial有利 to copy複製 one another另一個.
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仿效彼此通常是有益處的。
00:38
Think back to grade年級 school學校 and dressing敷料
like the cool kids孩子 made製作 you "cool."
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回想小學時代,跟那些酷孩子
穿得很像就能讓你「很酷」。
00:42
But copying仿形 behavior行為
is also common共同 in wild野生 animals動物.
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但,仿效行為在野生動物中
也是很常見的。
00:46
For example, some birds鳥類
copy複製 the alarm報警 calls電話 of other birds鳥類
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比如,有些鳥會仿效
其他鳥的警告叫聲,
00:50
to spread傳播 information信息
about approaching接近 predators大鱷.
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來散播關於食肉動物靠近的警訊。
00:53
But could copying仿形 behavior行為 in wild野生 animals動物
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但,野生動物的仿效行為有沒有可能
00:57
affect影響 entire整個 ecosystems生態系統
that we humans人類 depend依靠 on?
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影響我們人類仰賴的整個生態系統?
01:02
I was led to this question
while studying研究 coral珊瑚 reefs珊瑚礁,
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當我在研究珊瑚礁時,
這個問題浮現出來,
01:04
which哪一個 support支持 millions百萬 of people
through通過 fisheries漁業 and tourism旅遊
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數百萬人賴以為生的珊瑚礁,
從漁業到旅遊業,
01:08
here in Africa非洲 and around the world世界.
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在非洲這裡以及全世界都是如此。
01:10
But coral珊瑚 reefs珊瑚礁 depend依靠 on fish
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但,珊瑚礁要仰賴魚類
01:14
that perform演出 a critical危急 job工作
by eating algae藻類.
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執行極重要的工作:吃掉水藻。
01:17
Because if left unchecked未選中,
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因為若不受約束,
01:18
these algae藻類 can kill coral珊瑚
and take over entire整個 coral珊瑚 reefs珊瑚礁,
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這些水藻會害死珊瑚,
且佔據整個珊瑚礁,
01:22
a costly昂貴 change更改 that is difficult
or impossible不可能 to reverse相反.
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造成很難改變
或無法逆轉的高昂代價。
01:28
So to understand理解
how fish may可能 prevent避免 this,
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所以,為了了解
魚類如何預防這現象,
01:31
I spy間諜 on them
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我監視牠們,
01:33
while they're eating algae藻類,
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觀察牠們吃水藻,
01:35
which哪一個 can be difficult for them to do
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這對牠們來說可能蠻困難的,
01:37
in open打開 parts部分 of the reef
exposed裸露 to predators大鱷,
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因為當牠們在珊瑚礁的開放區域時,
會暴露在食肉動物的危機下,
01:41
some of which哪一個, on rare罕見 occasion場合,
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極罕見地,有些食肉動物
01:42
appear出現 to realize實現 I'm watching觀看 them.
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顯然知道我在看牠們。
01:45
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
01:52
So clearly明確地, clearly明確地, for reef fish,
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所以,很顯然,對珊瑚礁魚類而言,
01:55
dining用餐 out can be scary害怕.
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外出用餐是挺可怕的。
01:57
But I wanted to understand理解
how these fish do their job工作
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但我想要了解這些魚類如何在危險的
02:00
in risky有風險 situations情況.
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情境中進行這項工作。
02:01
So my colleagues同事 and I
put massive大規模的 video視頻 camera相機 stands站立
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所以我和同事架設了
巨大的攝影機腳架,
02:06
in a coral珊瑚 reef
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架在一個珊瑚礁上,
02:07
to remotely遠程 monitor監控 entire整個 feeding饋送 grounds理由
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讓我們從遠端監視整片就食地,
02:10
that produce生產 a lot of algae藻類
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這裡有許多水藻,
02:11
but are exposed裸露 to predators大鱷.
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但也暴露在食肉動物的危險中。
02:15
And this perspective透視 from above以上
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從上面看的這個視角,
02:17
shows節目 us the feeding饋送 behavior行為
and precise精確 movements運動
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能呈現出多種不同魚類的就食行為
02:21
of many許多 different不同 fish,
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及精確的移動路線,
02:22
shown顯示 here with colored有色 dots.
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這些有顏色的點表示魚類。
02:25
And by analyzing分析
thousands數千 of fish movements運動
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藉由分析數千筆魚類移動的資料,
02:28
to and from feeding饋送 grounds理由,
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包括前往就食地以及在該處的移動,
02:30
we discovered發現 a pattern模式.
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我們發現了一個模式。
02:32
These fish, despite儘管 being存在
from different不同 species種類
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這些魚類,儘管是不同種,
02:35
and not swimming游泳的 in schools學校,
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且沒有成群移動,
02:37
were copying仿形 one another另一個,
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牠們仍然會仿效彼此,
02:39
such這樣 that one fish entering進入
these dangerous危險 feeding饋送 grounds理由
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當一條魚進入了危險的就食地時,
02:42
could lead many許多 others其他 to do the same相同.
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可能會造成其他魚類跟進。
02:45
And fish stayed for longer
and ate more algae藻類
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且當被更多來就食的魚類圍繞時,
02:48
when they were surrounded包圍
by more feeding饋送 fish.
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牠們就會待得更久、吃得更多。
02:51
Now, this could be happening事件
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會發生這種現象,
02:53
because even simple簡單 movements運動
by individual個人 fish
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可能是因為單一條魚的簡單動作
02:55
can inadvertently不經意間 communicate通信
vital重要 information信息.
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會不經意地傳遞出重要資訊。
02:59
For example, if even one fish
sees看到 a predator捕食者 and flees出逃,
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比如,即使是一條魚
看見食肉動物並逃跑,
03:03
this can alert警報 many許多 others其他 to danger危險.
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這動作就會警告其他魚有危險出現。
03:06
And a fish safely安然 entering進入 feeding饋送 grounds理由
can show顯示 others其他 that the coast is clear明確.
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而一條魚安全地進入就食地,
就能讓其他魚知道這裡沒有危險。
03:11
So it turns out that even when
these fish are different不同 species種類,
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所以,結果發現,
即使這些魚類屬於不同種,
03:15
they are connected連接的 within social社會 networks網絡
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牠們仍然在社交網路中連結在一起,
03:19
which哪一個 can provide提供 information信息
on when it's safe安全 to eat.
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這個網路能提供何時
可以安心去就食的資訊。
03:22
And our analyses分析 indicate表明 that fish simply只是
copying仿形 other fish in their social社會 network網絡
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我們的分析指出,被魚群吃掉的
水藻中,超過六成都是被
03:27
could account帳戶 for over 60 percent百分
of the algae藻類 eaten吃過 by the fish community社區,
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在魚類的社交網路中單純仿效
其他魚的那些魚給吃掉的,
03:32
and thus從而 could be critical危急
to the flow of energy能源 and resources資源
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因此,對於珊瑚礁生態系統中的
能量與資源的流動,
03:37
through通過 coral珊瑚 reef ecosystems生態系統.
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這些魚是很重要的。
03:40
But these findings發現 also suggest建議
that overfishing過度捕撈,
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但這些發現也顯示出,過度捕撈是
03:43
a common共同 problem問題 in coral珊瑚 reefs珊瑚礁,
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珊瑚礁的常見問題,
03:45
not only removes移除了 fish,
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不僅會造成魚類消失,
03:47
but it could break打破 up
the social社會 network網絡 of remaining其餘 fish,
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也會破壞剩下魚類的社交網路,
03:50
which哪一個 may可能 hide隱藏 more and eat less algae藻類
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導致牠們更常隱藏起來,
吃的水藻更少,
03:53
because they're missing失踪
critical危急 information信息.
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因為牠們得不到重要的資訊。
03:56
And this would make coral珊瑚 reefs珊瑚礁
more vulnerable弱勢 than we currently目前 predict預測.
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這會讓珊瑚礁比我們
目前所預測的更脆弱。
04:02
So remarkably異常, fish social社會 networks網絡
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所以,顯然魚類社交網路
04:06
allow允許 the actions行動 of one to spread傳播 to many許多
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能將一條魚的行為散播給許多條魚,
04:09
and could affect影響 entire整個 coral珊瑚 reefs珊瑚礁,
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且可能影響到整個珊瑚礁,
04:11
which哪一個 feed飼料 millions百萬 of us
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這個餵養數百萬人、
04:14
and support支持 the global全球 economy經濟
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全球經濟都賴以為生的珊瑚礁。
04:16
for all of us.
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04:18
Now, our discovery發現
points us towards better ways方法
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我們的發現,為我們
指出了更好的方式,
04:21
to sustainably可持續 manage管理 coral珊瑚 reefs珊瑚礁,
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來永續地管理珊瑚礁,
04:23
but it also shows節目 us,
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但也讓我們知道,
04:24
we humans人類 are not just affected受影響
by the actions行動 of other humans人類,
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我們人類並不只受到
其他人的行為所影響,
04:29
but we could be affected受影響
by the actions行動 of individual個人 fish
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連遠方珊瑚礁上的一條魚所做的
04:32
on a distant遙遠 coral珊瑚 reef
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簡單仿效行為,也可能影響我們。
04:33
through通過 their simple簡單 copying仿形 behavior行為.
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04:36
Thank you.
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謝謝。
04:37
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by Lilian Chiu
Reviewed by SF Huang

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mike Gil - Marine biologist
TED Fellow Mike Gil conducts field experiments and builds mathematical models to understand how marine ecosystems function.

Why you should listen

Marine biologist, National Geographic Explorer and TED Fellow Mike Gil conducts field experiments and builds mathematical models to understand how marine ecosystems function. This understanding, he says, is crucial for humankind to build a sustainable future. Gil has led research around the world: from coral reefs in the Caribbean, French Polynesia and Southeast Asia, to "microislands" of plastic garbage, teeming with life, in the middle of the Pacific. Currently, Gil uses novel multi-camera systems in the field combined with computer vision technology to explore, at an unprecedented scale and resolution, how coral reef fish behave, socialize and affect entire coral reef ecosystems. Gil's scientific discoveries and his often unorthodox approaches have garnered significant national and international media attention.

In addition to being a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of California, Davis, Gil is also an avid and award-winning science communicator. As a self-described "science-hater turned scientist" from humble beginnings, he is passionate about diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. To this end, Gil founded and runs the nonprofit SciAll.org, which uses free online videos to bring mass public audiences along for the adventures that come with a career in science. Through his research and outreach, Gil aims to deliver a timely message to humanity: science is exhilarating, accessible and in the service of all.

More profile about the speaker
Mike Gil | Speaker | TED.com