6
2 Overview of the Aquatic Ecosystem
of water. Humans, plants, animals, prokaryotes and protists all depend on water to
exist. More than just hydration, many biochemical reactions and processes depend
on water. Dissolving of nutrients for uptake, the maintenance of erect upright form
in plants and much more require water, such is the extent of the relevance of water
for life on earth.
Aquatic ecosystems refer to the complex web of relationships between living and
non-living organisms which exist around a body of water. In order to understand the
industrial and environmental significance of aquatic biopolymers, it is also important
to understand the ecosystem within which these biopolymers exist. The aquatic environment holds a world of resources which play important roles in both the present
and future industries. In addition, it is a vital food source and means of generating
income for many communities. Biopolymers form a significant part of the aquatic
environment, and various aquatic sourced biopolymers are explored in the different
chapters of this book.
The United Nations Convention on climate change sets the global goal of ensuring
that the global temperature rise does not go 2 °C above the preindustrial temperature.
The global temperature rise is due to many factors, part of which is hypothesized to
be the continuous dependence on fossil fuel which results in the release of gaseous
compounds which result in global warming. To this end, this book seeks to explore the
range of available resources in the aquatic environment, their production process as
well as their economic value both existing and potential. It explores how the aquatic
environment could indeed offer alternatives to the biopolymers which we require in
various aspects of life.
Optimum utilization of the vast resources of the aquatic world requires an understanding of the different resources and the role they play in the environment and the
economy. The sustainable millennium goal SDG 14 states: “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development” (FAO
2018). Even where one is interested in only a single resource, it is important to have
a general overview of the range of biopolymers and how they are connected. This
helps to explore alternatives, co-production and the connection of that particular
biopolymer to the rest of the aquatic ecosystem.
While still at its infancy, the marine biorefinery could be built around developing
a synergy with the already-existing offshore facilities. This will enable a more seamless transition from mostly fossil-based polymer products to more diverse polymer
industry that includes the use of aquatic biopolymers sourced from aquatic waste
and by-products in a sustainable manner. Furthermore, deep-sea mining, oil and gas
drilling and intensive unsustainable fishing methods are reported as the major threats
to the aquatic ecosystem. For example, a recent study revealed that the increase
in the copper concentration in the water during deep-sea mining results in reduced
metabolic activities and immune response in B. azoricus, a mussel which inhabits the
deep sea (Martins et al. 2017). By utilizing the biopolymers from aquatic wastes and
by-products, the demand for these unsustainable sources of polymers is reduced, and
through value addition to the aquatic resource, there is less pressure on fishermen to
adopt unsustainable fishing methods.
2 Overview of the Aquatic Ecosystem
of water. Humans, plants, animals, prokaryotes and protists all depend on water to
exist. More than just hydration, many biochemical reactions and processes depend
on water. Dissolving of nutrients for uptake, the maintenance of erect upright form
in plants and much more require water, such is the extent of the relevance of water
for life on earth.
Aquatic ecosystems refer to the complex web of relationships between living and
non-living organisms which exist around a body of water. In order to understand the
industrial and environmental significance of aquatic biopolymers, it is also important
to understand the ecosystem within which these biopolymers exist. The aquatic environment holds a world of resources which play important roles in both the present
and future industries. In addition, it is a vital food source and means of generating
income for many communities. Biopolymers form a significant part of the aquatic
environment, and various aquatic sourced biopolymers are explored in the different
chapters of this book.
The United Nations Convention on climate change sets the global goal of ensuring
that the global temperature rise does not go 2 °C above the preindustrial temperature.
The global temperature rise is due to many factors, part of which is hypothesized to
be the continuous dependence on fossil fuel which results in the release of gaseous
compounds which result in global warming. To this end, this book seeks to explore the
range of available resources in the aquatic environment, their production process as
well as their economic value both existing and potential. It explores how the aquatic
environment could indeed offer alternatives to the biopolymers which we require in
various aspects of life.
Optimum utilization of the vast resources of the aquatic world requires an understanding of the different resources and the role they play in the environment and the
economy. The sustainable millennium goal SDG 14 states: “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development” (FAO
2018). Even where one is interested in only a single resource, it is important to have
a general overview of the range of biopolymers and how they are connected. This
helps to explore alternatives, co-production and the connection of that particular
biopolymer to the rest of the aquatic ecosystem.
While still at its infancy, the marine biorefinery could be built around developing
a synergy with the already-existing offshore facilities. This will enable a more seamless transition from mostly fossil-based polymer products to more diverse polymer
industry that includes the use of aquatic biopolymers sourced from aquatic waste
and by-products in a sustainable manner. Furthermore, deep-sea mining, oil and gas
drilling and intensive unsustainable fishing methods are reported as the major threats
to the aquatic ecosystem. For example, a recent study revealed that the increase
in the copper concentration in the water during deep-sea mining results in reduced
metabolic activities and immune response in B. azoricus, a mussel which inhabits the
deep sea (Martins et al. 2017). By utilizing the biopolymers from aquatic wastes and
by-products, the demand for these unsustainable sources of polymers is reduced, and
through value addition to the aquatic resource, there is less pressure on fishermen to
adopt unsustainable fishing methods.