Chapter 1
Introduction to Aquatic Biopolymers
Polymers refer to macromolecules made up of repeating units of smaller molecules
covalently bound together to form a bigger molecule. For example, proteins are
polymers made up of amino acids, cellulose is made up of repeating units of glucose
and polyethylene is made up of repeating units of ethylene. The units which join
together to form polymers are referred to as monomers, and the process through which
this is achieved is termed polymerization. Biopolymers refer to polymers which are
produced by living organisms. The term aquatic biopolymers refers to biopolymers
which are produced by living organisms that inhabit the aquatic ecosystem.
Since the beginning of the ages, polymers have played a significant role in human
life in providing the most basic need, food, in the form of carbohydrates and proteins. As life advances, polymers have come to be of great importance to modern
civilization, from the food we eat, the portable plastic bottles that give us convenient
access to clean drinking water, the medicines we take, basic hygiene, tools and the
fuels that run our engines. Polymers are fundamental to our existence as modern
humans. Considering that the polynucleotides which form our DNA that carry the
instructions for every life function are also polymers, it can therefore be said that
polymers indeed make life. The aquatic environment is a rich source of a wide range
of natural resources, and among those resources are polymers. They are found in
the cell walls, tissues, exoskeletons, secretions and anatomical regions of aquatic
organisms across the five kingdoms.
A large variation of factors exists in the aquatic environment. These variable
factors include salinity, depth, light intensity, temperature, pressure, density, pH,
prey/predator presence, nutrients, dissolved gases, water flow rate, flora and fauna.
These factors determine the types of biochemicals produced by the different organisms to survive their environment, even more so where they are in such direct contact
with the continuous medium (Christophe et al. 2015). Such variation in the environmental factors also translates to a diverse range of polymers. Over the course
of evolution of life, living organisms both plants and animals have devised means
to produce, absorb, store and process different forms of biopolymers. This ranges
from polysaccharides used for energy and structure, proteins for metabolism and
cell renewal and polyesters for water repelling among others. These are stored in
© Springer International Publishing 2020
O. Olatunji, Aquatic Biopolymers, Springer Series on Polymer and Composite Materials,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34709-3_1
1
Introduction to Aquatic Biopolymers
Polymers refer to macromolecules made up of repeating units of smaller molecules
covalently bound together to form a bigger molecule. For example, proteins are
polymers made up of amino acids, cellulose is made up of repeating units of glucose
and polyethylene is made up of repeating units of ethylene. The units which join
together to form polymers are referred to as monomers, and the process through which
this is achieved is termed polymerization. Biopolymers refer to polymers which are
produced by living organisms. The term aquatic biopolymers refers to biopolymers
which are produced by living organisms that inhabit the aquatic ecosystem.
Since the beginning of the ages, polymers have played a significant role in human
life in providing the most basic need, food, in the form of carbohydrates and proteins. As life advances, polymers have come to be of great importance to modern
civilization, from the food we eat, the portable plastic bottles that give us convenient
access to clean drinking water, the medicines we take, basic hygiene, tools and the
fuels that run our engines. Polymers are fundamental to our existence as modern
humans. Considering that the polynucleotides which form our DNA that carry the
instructions for every life function are also polymers, it can therefore be said that
polymers indeed make life. The aquatic environment is a rich source of a wide range
of natural resources, and among those resources are polymers. They are found in
the cell walls, tissues, exoskeletons, secretions and anatomical regions of aquatic
organisms across the five kingdoms.
A large variation of factors exists in the aquatic environment. These variable
factors include salinity, depth, light intensity, temperature, pressure, density, pH,
prey/predator presence, nutrients, dissolved gases, water flow rate, flora and fauna.
These factors determine the types of biochemicals produced by the different organisms to survive their environment, even more so where they are in such direct contact
with the continuous medium (Christophe et al. 2015). Such variation in the environmental factors also translates to a diverse range of polymers. Over the course
of evolution of life, living organisms both plants and animals have devised means
to produce, absorb, store and process different forms of biopolymers. This ranges
from polysaccharides used for energy and structure, proteins for metabolism and
cell renewal and polyesters for water repelling among others. These are stored in
© Springer International Publishing 2020
O. Olatunji, Aquatic Biopolymers, Springer Series on Polymer and Composite Materials,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34709-3_1
1