ix
technologies (e.g., omics) to bridge the gap between the genome and phenotype in
order to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that underpin tolerance to abiotic
stress in seagrass. Seagrasses live in dynamic coastal aquatic environments and
experience complex photosynthetic and respiratory responses. Chapter 7 describes
systems biology approaches to the understanding of photosynthetic processes in
seagrasses and the accurate estimation of the carbon budgets of seagrass meadows.
Furthermore, Chapter 8 summarizes how system-based approaches are crucial in
predicting the fitness and response of seagrasses to the combined impacts of environmental constraints and how their interactions with other organisms in their ecological niche at different trophic levels affect the marine system dynamics at
numerous points in the network. The adaptive fitness of seagrasses to any environment requires a mechanistic understanding of environmental influence on metabolic
networks that eventually control energy assimilation, growth, and reproduction.
Chapter 9 explores nontargeted metabolite profiling and how metabolomic information in seagrasses is integral to linking genotype to phenotype in the context of
global climate change.
Marine microalgae and microorganisms are the focus of Chaps. 10–13. Chapter
10 describes the availability of complete marine microalgal genome sequences,
meta-transcriptomic data, and other omics-based datasets. These molecular resources
have enabled precise molecular descriptions of complete biological systems and
have enabled rigorous hypothesis testing to study the connections between genotype
and phenotype, phenotype and the environment, species and ecosystems, and the
interspecies evolution and adaptation of microalgae. A discussion of the potential of
meta-barcoding and meta-genomics to characterize ocean microbial communities
rapidly and effectively is given in Chap. 11. In addition, this chapter describes the
potential of cultivation-independent omics approaches to understand how microbial
taxa adjust their molecular and physiological machinery to take advantage of changing environmental conditions and, in turn, shape microbial community structure.
Chapter 12 summarizes the individual and combined effects of ocean acidification
and ultraviolet radiations on marine photosynthetic carbon fixation. Chapter 13
provides a comprehensive overview of bioprospecting of microalgae while culturing
under stress conditions to enhance secondary metabolite production and biofuel
potential. This chapter further highlights how the integration of multiple omics is
effective for discovering new metabolic pathways that are integral for the use of
microalgae as biofactories.
Chemical communications between host and microbial community are the focus of
Chaps. 14–16. The host (marine macro- and microalgae/corals)-microbial interaction
and its significance within a hostile marine environment are described. Furthermore,
the interactions that are essential to regulate the host defense system, their morphology
and development, quorum sensing, and exchange of info-chemicals informed by systems biology approaches, together with meta-genomics and meta-transcriptomics,
are discussed.
This book describes the latest advances in systems biology in four pillars of the
marine ecosystems: seaweed, seagrasses, microalgae, and corals. This knowledge
will not only benefit marine biology students and researchers but also resource manPreface
technologies (e.g., omics) to bridge the gap between the genome and phenotype in
order to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that underpin tolerance to abiotic
stress in seagrass. Seagrasses live in dynamic coastal aquatic environments and
experience complex photosynthetic and respiratory responses. Chapter 7 describes
systems biology approaches to the understanding of photosynthetic processes in
seagrasses and the accurate estimation of the carbon budgets of seagrass meadows.
Furthermore, Chapter 8 summarizes how system-based approaches are crucial in
predicting the fitness and response of seagrasses to the combined impacts of environmental constraints and how their interactions with other organisms in their ecological niche at different trophic levels affect the marine system dynamics at
numerous points in the network. The adaptive fitness of seagrasses to any environment requires a mechanistic understanding of environmental influence on metabolic
networks that eventually control energy assimilation, growth, and reproduction.
Chapter 9 explores nontargeted metabolite profiling and how metabolomic information in seagrasses is integral to linking genotype to phenotype in the context of
global climate change.
Marine microalgae and microorganisms are the focus of Chaps. 10–13. Chapter
10 describes the availability of complete marine microalgal genome sequences,
meta-transcriptomic data, and other omics-based datasets. These molecular resources
have enabled precise molecular descriptions of complete biological systems and
have enabled rigorous hypothesis testing to study the connections between genotype
and phenotype, phenotype and the environment, species and ecosystems, and the
interspecies evolution and adaptation of microalgae. A discussion of the potential of
meta-barcoding and meta-genomics to characterize ocean microbial communities
rapidly and effectively is given in Chap. 11. In addition, this chapter describes the
potential of cultivation-independent omics approaches to understand how microbial
taxa adjust their molecular and physiological machinery to take advantage of changing environmental conditions and, in turn, shape microbial community structure.
Chapter 12 summarizes the individual and combined effects of ocean acidification
and ultraviolet radiations on marine photosynthetic carbon fixation. Chapter 13
provides a comprehensive overview of bioprospecting of microalgae while culturing
under stress conditions to enhance secondary metabolite production and biofuel
potential. This chapter further highlights how the integration of multiple omics is
effective for discovering new metabolic pathways that are integral for the use of
microalgae as biofactories.
Chemical communications between host and microbial community are the focus of
Chaps. 14–16. The host (marine macro- and microalgae/corals)-microbial interaction
and its significance within a hostile marine environment are described. Furthermore,
the interactions that are essential to regulate the host defense system, their morphology
and development, quorum sensing, and exchange of info-chemicals informed by systems biology approaches, together with meta-genomics and meta-transcriptomics,
are discussed.
This book describes the latest advances in systems biology in four pillars of the
marine ecosystems: seaweed, seagrasses, microalgae, and corals. This knowledge
will not only benefit marine biology students and researchers but also resource manPreface