Introduction
1
Introduction
1. Introduction to Marine Biotechnology
Se-Kwon Kim, Jayachandran Venkatesan
Marine biotechnology is an innovative field of research in science and technology concerning the
support of living organisms with marine products and tools. To understand the omics of the
living species: it is a novel way to produce genetically modified food, drugs, and energy to
overcome global demand. The exploitation of
biotechnology for drug discovery, including enzymes, antibiotics, and biopolymers, chemical
compounds from marine sources are deliberated
in this book. The concepts of marine microbiology
and molecular biology are explored extensively
in the present book. Biomedical applications of
marine biomaterials such as tissue engineering,
drug delivery, gene delivery, and biosensor areas
are thoroughly discussed. Bioenergy from marine
sources is a groundbreaking achievement in the
field of marine biotechnology and is also covered
1.1 Marine Biotechnology – Definition ..........
1
1.2 Marine Biotechnology – Tools ..................
2
1.3 Marine Sources and Research Areas ..........
4
1.4 Applications of Marine Biotechnology ......
4
1.4.1 Marine Aquaculture........................
4
1.4.2 Marine Natural Products
for Medicine ..................................
4
1.4.3 Marine Nutraceuticals.....................
6
1.4.4 Marine Biomaterials .......................
6
1.4.5 Marine Bioenergy...........................
6
1.4.6 Marine Bioremediation...................
6
1.5 Research Scope .......................................
6
1.6 Organization of the Handbook.................
7
References.....................................................
8
in this book. Finally, industrial uses of marinederived products are explored for mankind.
1.1 Marine Biotechnology – Definition
More than 80% of living organisms on earth are found
in the aquatic ecosystem. The largest ecosystem on
the planet is the ocean; it can be divided into photic,
pelagic, benthic, epipelagic, and aphotic zones. More
than 40 000 different kinds of species are present in the
marine environment, and they are classified as microorganisms, seagrasses, algae, corals, and animals [1.1].
The marine world is considered as a huge reservoir of
various biological active compounds. Marine organisms
have the capacity to produce unique compounds due
to exposure to exceptionally different oceanic environments, such as temperature, chlorophyll content, salinity, and water quality [1.2, 3]. The oldest known fossils
are marine stromatolites, which have been evolving
for 3:5 billion years; land fossils are about 450 million
years old [1.4, 5]. Although the marine world represents
nearly
3
4
of the earth’s surface, it is one of most underutilized biological resources.
Biotechnology is the most powerful tool to discover the many secrets of marine organisms and their
compounds. There are numerous definitions and explanations that have been given to marine biotechnology
since the day its term was coined [1.6, 7]. According to Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO, #8),
biotechnology can be defined as [1.8]:
any technological application that uses biological
systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to
make or modify products or processes for specific
use.
J. Grant Burgess suggested that marine biotechnology
is [1.4]:
biotechnology carried out using biological resources which have come from the marine environment rather than from the terrestrial environment.
1
Introduction
1. Introduction to Marine Biotechnology
Se-Kwon Kim, Jayachandran Venkatesan
Marine biotechnology is an innovative field of research in science and technology concerning the
support of living organisms with marine products and tools. To understand the omics of the
living species: it is a novel way to produce genetically modified food, drugs, and energy to
overcome global demand. The exploitation of
biotechnology for drug discovery, including enzymes, antibiotics, and biopolymers, chemical
compounds from marine sources are deliberated
in this book. The concepts of marine microbiology
and molecular biology are explored extensively
in the present book. Biomedical applications of
marine biomaterials such as tissue engineering,
drug delivery, gene delivery, and biosensor areas
are thoroughly discussed. Bioenergy from marine
sources is a groundbreaking achievement in the
field of marine biotechnology and is also covered
1.1 Marine Biotechnology – Definition ..........
1
1.2 Marine Biotechnology – Tools ..................
2
1.3 Marine Sources and Research Areas ..........
4
1.4 Applications of Marine Biotechnology ......
4
1.4.1 Marine Aquaculture........................
4
1.4.2 Marine Natural Products
for Medicine ..................................
4
1.4.3 Marine Nutraceuticals.....................
6
1.4.4 Marine Biomaterials .......................
6
1.4.5 Marine Bioenergy...........................
6
1.4.6 Marine Bioremediation...................
6
1.5 Research Scope .......................................
6
1.6 Organization of the Handbook.................
7
References.....................................................
8
in this book. Finally, industrial uses of marinederived products are explored for mankind.
1.1 Marine Biotechnology – Definition
More than 80% of living organisms on earth are found
in the aquatic ecosystem. The largest ecosystem on
the planet is the ocean; it can be divided into photic,
pelagic, benthic, epipelagic, and aphotic zones. More
than 40 000 different kinds of species are present in the
marine environment, and they are classified as microorganisms, seagrasses, algae, corals, and animals [1.1].
The marine world is considered as a huge reservoir of
various biological active compounds. Marine organisms
have the capacity to produce unique compounds due
to exposure to exceptionally different oceanic environments, such as temperature, chlorophyll content, salinity, and water quality [1.2, 3]. The oldest known fossils
are marine stromatolites, which have been evolving
for 3:5 billion years; land fossils are about 450 million
years old [1.4, 5]. Although the marine world represents
nearly
3
4
of the earth’s surface, it is one of most underutilized biological resources.
Biotechnology is the most powerful tool to discover the many secrets of marine organisms and their
compounds. There are numerous definitions and explanations that have been given to marine biotechnology
since the day its term was coined [1.6, 7]. According to Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO, #8),
biotechnology can be defined as [1.8]:
any technological application that uses biological
systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to
make or modify products or processes for specific
use.
J. Grant Burgess suggested that marine biotechnology
is [1.4]:
biotechnology carried out using biological resources which have come from the marine environment rather than from the terrestrial environment.