3
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015
H. Ehrlich, Biological Materials of Marine Origin, Biologically- Inspired Systems 4,
DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-5730-1_1
Chapter 1
Introduction
Abstract Marine vertebrates include fi sh, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
The Part I describes the classifi cation of marine vertebrates. Included is information
about the broad diversity seen in specifi c biological materials. These materials
include mineralized tissues (cartilage, bones, teeth, dentin, egg shells), biominerals
(otoliths and otoconia), and skeletal structures (carapaces, sucking disks, spines,
scales, scutes, plates, denticles etc.). Elastomers (egg case) and structural proteins
(collagen, keratins) are also mentioned. Special attention is payed to the biomimetic
applications of biomaterials originating from marine vertebrates.
1.1 Species Richness and Diversity of Marine Vertebrates
The diversity of life forms on Earth is one of the most intriguing aspects for human
community. Therefore, knowing how many species inhabit the planet is one of the
most fundamental questions in modern science (Mora et al. 2011 ). The taxonomic
classifi cation of animal species into higher taxonomic groups (from genera to phyla)
follows a consistent pattern from which the total number of species in any
taxonomic group can be predicted. Assessment of this pattern for all kingdoms of
life on Earth predicts about 8.7 million species globally, of which ca. 2.2 million are
marine (Poore and Wilson 1993 ; Briggs and Shelgrove 1999 ; Bouchet 2006 ;
Appeltans et al. 2012 ). It suggests that some 86 % of the species on Earth, and 91 %
in aquatic niches, still await description (Mora et al. 2011 ).
Vertebrates, as important players in nearly all marine food webs, occupy all
marine habitats. The vertebrates in the ocean include fi sh, amphibians, reptiles,
birds, and mammals. The fi sh are the most successful in terms of numbers of
individuals as well as numbers of species (ca. 50 % of living vertebrates) (Berg
1940 ; Long 1995 ; Nelson 2006 ) and below, give an overview of classifi cations for
marine vertebrates. I include additional information about common and specifi c
biological materials like mineralized tissues, skeletal structures (spines, scales,
denticles), elastomers, structural proteins etc.
Among the most structurally complex organisms, marine vertebrates are classifi ed
under the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata and Subphylum Vertebrata. The
four main marine superclasses and classes, as well as one representative of marine
amphibians in Vertebrata, are discussed below.
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015
H. Ehrlich, Biological Materials of Marine Origin, Biologically- Inspired Systems 4,
DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-5730-1_1
Chapter 1
Introduction
Abstract Marine vertebrates include fi sh, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
The Part I describes the classifi cation of marine vertebrates. Included is information
about the broad diversity seen in specifi c biological materials. These materials
include mineralized tissues (cartilage, bones, teeth, dentin, egg shells), biominerals
(otoliths and otoconia), and skeletal structures (carapaces, sucking disks, spines,
scales, scutes, plates, denticles etc.). Elastomers (egg case) and structural proteins
(collagen, keratins) are also mentioned. Special attention is payed to the biomimetic
applications of biomaterials originating from marine vertebrates.
1.1 Species Richness and Diversity of Marine Vertebrates
The diversity of life forms on Earth is one of the most intriguing aspects for human
community. Therefore, knowing how many species inhabit the planet is one of the
most fundamental questions in modern science (Mora et al. 2011 ). The taxonomic
classifi cation of animal species into higher taxonomic groups (from genera to phyla)
follows a consistent pattern from which the total number of species in any
taxonomic group can be predicted. Assessment of this pattern for all kingdoms of
life on Earth predicts about 8.7 million species globally, of which ca. 2.2 million are
marine (Poore and Wilson 1993 ; Briggs and Shelgrove 1999 ; Bouchet 2006 ;
Appeltans et al. 2012 ). It suggests that some 86 % of the species on Earth, and 91 %
in aquatic niches, still await description (Mora et al. 2011 ).
Vertebrates, as important players in nearly all marine food webs, occupy all
marine habitats. The vertebrates in the ocean include fi sh, amphibians, reptiles,
birds, and mammals. The fi sh are the most successful in terms of numbers of
individuals as well as numbers of species (ca. 50 % of living vertebrates) (Berg
1940 ; Long 1995 ; Nelson 2006 ) and below, give an overview of classifi cations for
marine vertebrates. I include additional information about common and specifi c
biological materials like mineralized tissues, skeletal structures (spines, scales,
denticles), elastomers, structural proteins etc.
Among the most structurally complex organisms, marine vertebrates are classifi ed
under the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata and Subphylum Vertebrata. The
four main marine superclasses and classes, as well as one representative of marine
amphibians in Vertebrata, are discussed below.