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Nature Communications Jul 2019Seagrass meadows, key ecosystems supporting fisheries, carbon sequestration and coastal protection, are globally threatened. In Europe, loss and recovery of seagrasses...
Seagrass meadows, key ecosystems supporting fisheries, carbon sequestration and coastal protection, are globally threatened. In Europe, loss and recovery of seagrasses are reported, but the changes in extent and density at the continental scale remain unclear. Here we collate assessments of changes from 1869 to 2016 and show that 1/3 of European seagrass area was lost due to disease, deteriorated water quality, and coastal development, with losses peaking in the 1970s and 1980s. Since then, loss rates slowed down for most of the species and fast-growing species recovered in some locations, making the net rate of change in seagrass area experience a reversal in the 2000s, while density metrics improved or remained stable in most sites. Our results demonstrate that decline is not the generalised state among seagrasses nowadays in Europe, in contrast with global assessments, and that deceleration and reversal of declining trends is possible, expectingly bringing back the services they provide.
Topics: Biodiversity; Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecosystem; Europe; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Magnoliopsida; Marine Biology
PubMed: 31350407
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11340-4 -
Annals of Oncology : Official Journal... 2000
Review
Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Biological Products; Humans; Marine Biology; Neoplasms; Plants, Medicinal
PubMed: 11079147
DOI: 10.1093/annonc/11.suppl_3.235 -
Journal of Natural Products Mar 2014Compounds from macro marine organisms are presumed to owe their biosynthetic origins to associated microbial symbionts, although few definitive examples exist. An... (Review)
Review
Compounds from macro marine organisms are presumed to owe their biosynthetic origins to associated microbial symbionts, although few definitive examples exist. An upsurge in the recent literature from 2012 to 2013 has shown that four compounds previously reported from macro marine organisms are in fact biosynthesized by non-photosynthetic Gram-negative bacteria (NPGNB). Structural parallels between compounds isolated from macro marine organisms and NPGNB producers form the basis of this review. Although less attention has been given to investigating the chemistry of NPGNB sources, there exists a significant list of structural parallels between NPGNB and macro marine organism-derived compounds. Alternatively, of the thousands of compounds isolated from Gram-positive actinomycetes, few structural parallels with macro marine organisms are known. A summary of small molecules isolated from marine NPGNB sources is presented, including compounds isolated from marine myxobacteria. From this assemblage of structural parallels and diverse chemical structures, it is hypothesized that the potential for the discovery of inspirational molecules from NPGNB sources is vast and that the recent spike in the literature of macro marine compounds owing their biosynthetic origin to NPGNB producers represents a turning point in the field.
Topics: Actinobacteria; Biological Products; Drug Discovery; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Marine Biology; Molecular Structure
PubMed: 24571234
DOI: 10.1021/np500041x -
The Science of the Total Environment Jan 2017Cross-system studies on the response of different ecosystems to global change will support our understanding of ecological changes. Synoptic views on the planet's two... (Review)
Review
Cross-system studies on the response of different ecosystems to global change will support our understanding of ecological changes. Synoptic views on the planet's two main realms, the marine and terrestrial, however, are rare, owing to the development of rather disparate research communities. We combined questionnaires and a literature review to investigate how the importance of anthropogenic drivers of biodiversity change differs among marine and terrestrial systems and whether differences perceived by marine vs. terrestrial researchers are reflected by the scientific literature. This included asking marine and terrestrial researchers to rate the relevance of different drivers of global change for either marine or terrestrial biodiversity. Land use and the associated loss of natural habitats were rated as most important in the terrestrial realm, while the exploitation of the sea by fishing was rated as most important in the marine realm. The relevance of chemicals, climate change and the increasing atmospheric concentration of CO were rated differently for marine and terrestrial biodiversity respectively. Yet, our literature review provided less evidence for such differences leading to the conclusion that while the history of the use of land and sea differs, impacts of global change are likely to become increasingly similar.
Topics: Biodiversity; Carbon Dioxide; Climate Change; Ecology; Marine Biology
PubMed: 27636004
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.002 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Oct 2010As human impacts cause ecosystem-wide changes in the oceans, the need to protect and restore marine resources has led to increasing calls for and establishment of marine...
As human impacts cause ecosystem-wide changes in the oceans, the need to protect and restore marine resources has led to increasing calls for and establishment of marine reserves. Scientific information about marine reserves has multiplied over the last decade, providing useful knowledge about this tool for resource users, managers, policy makers, and the general public. This information must be conveyed to nonscientists in a nontechnical, credible, and neutral format, but most scientists are not trained to communicate in this style or to develop effective strategies for sharing their scientific knowledge. Here, we present a case study from California, in which communicating scientific information during the process to establish marine reserves in the Channel Islands and along the California mainland coast expanded into an international communication effort. We discuss how to develop a strategy for communicating marine reserve science to diverse audiences and highlight the influence that effective science communication can have in discussions about marine management.
Topics: Animals; California; Communication; Community-Institutional Relations; Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecosystem; Fisheries; Fishes; Humans; Marine Biology; Pacific Ocean; Population Dynamics
PubMed: 20427745
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0914292107 -
PloS One 2016A decade of visual and acoustic detections of marine megafauna around offshore Oil & Gas (O&G) installations in the North and Irish Seas are presented. Marine megafauna...
A decade of visual and acoustic detections of marine megafauna around offshore Oil & Gas (O&G) installations in the North and Irish Seas are presented. Marine megafauna activity was monitored visually and acoustically by Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) qualified and experienced Marine Mammal Observers (MMO) and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Operators respectively, with real-time towed PAM in combination with industry standard software, PAMGuard. Monitoring was performed during routine O&G industrial operations for underwater noise mitigation purposes, and to ensure adherence to regulatory guidelines. Incidental sightings by off-effort MMOs and installation crew were also reported. Visual and acoustic monitoring spanned 55 non-consecutive days between 2004 and 2014. A total of 47 marine mammal sightings were recorded by MMOs on dedicated watch, and 10 incidental sightings of marine megafauna were reported over 10 years. Species included: harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus), white beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), common seal (Phoca vitulina), grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and, basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus). Passive Acoustic Monitoring was conducted on two occasions in 2014; 160 PAM hours over 12 days recorded a total of 308 individual clicks identified as harbour porpoises. These appear to be the first such acoustic detections obtained from a North Sea drilling rig whilst using a typically configured hydrophone array designed for towing in combination with real-time PAMGuard software. This study provides evidence that marine megafauna are present around mobile and stationary offshore O&G installations during routine operational activities. On this basis, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for decommissioning O&G platforms should be carried-out on a case-by-case basis, and must include provisions for hitherto overlooked marine megafauna.
Topics: Acoustics; Animals; Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecosystem; Environment; Mammals; Marine Biology; Minke Whale; North Sea; Oceans and Seas; Oil and Gas Fields; Phoca; Population Dynamics; Seals, Earless; Sharks
PubMed: 27078153
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153320 -
Marine Drugs Jan 2021Biotechnology is an essential tool for the sustainable exploitation of marine resources, although the full development of their potential is complicated by a series of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Marine Biotechnology: Challenges and Development Market Trends for the Enhancement of Biotic Resources in Industrial Pharmaceutical and Food Applications. A Statistical Analysis of Scientific Literature and Business Models.
Biotechnology is an essential tool for the sustainable exploitation of marine resources, although the full development of their potential is complicated by a series of cognitive and technological limitations. Thanks to an innovative systematic approach that combines the meta-analysis of 620 articles produced worldwide with 29 high TRL (Technology Readiness Level) European funded projects, the study provides an assessment of the growth prospects of blue biotechnologies, with a focus on pharmaceutical and food applications, and the most promising technologies to overcome the main challenges in the commercialization of marine products. The results show a positive development trend, with publications more than doubled from 2010 (36) to 2019 (70). Biochemical and molecular characterization, with 150 studies, is the most widely used technology. However, the emerging technologies in basic research are omics technologies, pharmacological analysis and bioinformatics, which have doubled the number of publications in the last five years. On the other hand, technologies for optimizing the conditions of cultivation, harvesting and extraction are central to most business models with immediate commercial exploitation (65% of high-TRL selected projects), especially in food and nutraceutical applications. This research offers a starting point for future research to overcome all those obstacles that restrict the marketing of products derived from organisms.
Topics: Animals; Biotechnology; Computational Biology; Drug Industry; Food Technology; Humans; Marine Biology; Marketing; Pharmaceutical Preparations
PubMed: 33530360
DOI: 10.3390/md19020061 -
The need to account for cell biology in characterizing predatory mixotrophs in aquatic environments.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Nov 2019Photosynthesis in eukaryotes first arose through phagocytotic processes wherein an engulfed cyanobacterium was not digested, but instead became a permanent organelle.... (Review)
Review
Photosynthesis in eukaryotes first arose through phagocytotic processes wherein an engulfed cyanobacterium was not digested, but instead became a permanent organelle. Other photosynthetic lineages then arose when eukaryotic cells engulfed other already photosynthetic eukaryotic cells. Some of the resulting lineages subsequently lost their ability for phagocytosis, while many others maintained the ability to do both processes. These mixotrophic taxa have more complicated ecological roles, in that they are both primary producers and consumers that can shift more towards producing the organic matter that forms the base of aquatic food chains, or towards respiring and releasing CO. We still have much to learn about which taxa are predatory mixotrophs as well as about the physiological consequences of this lifestyle, in part, because much of the diversity of unicellular eukaryotes in aquatic ecosystems remains uncultured. Here, we discuss existing methods for studying predatory mixotrophs, their individual biases, and how single-cell approaches can enhance knowledge of these important taxa. The question remains what the gold standard should be for assigning a mixotrophic status to ill-characterized or uncultured taxa-a status that dictates how organisms are incorporated into carbon cycle models and how their ecosystem roles may shift in future lakes and oceans. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Single cell ecology'.
Topics: Ecology; Eukaryota; Life History Traits; Marine Biology; Single-Cell Analysis
PubMed: 31587652
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0090 -
Communications Biology Nov 2022Dr. Nikki Traylor-Knowles is an Associate Professor of Marine Biology and Ecology at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science....
Dr. Nikki Traylor-Knowles is an Associate Professor of Marine Biology and Ecology at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. Dr. Traylor-Knowles received her Ph.D. from Boston University and was a NSF Ocean Sciences postdoctoral fellow at Hopkins Marine Station before starting her own research lab in 2016. In this Q&A, Dr. Traylor-Knowles tells us about her work on understanding the complexities of coral and role as the founder of Black Women in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Science (BWEEMS).
Topics: Animals; Anthozoa; Coral Reefs; Marine Biology; Immunity, Innate
PubMed: 36351998
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04149-3 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Mar 2019Most large-scale conservation policies are anticipated or announced in advance. This risks the possibility of preemptive resource extraction before the conservation...
Most large-scale conservation policies are anticipated or announced in advance. This risks the possibility of preemptive resource extraction before the conservation intervention goes into force. We use a high-resolution dataset of satellite-based fishing activity to show that anticipation of an impending no-take marine reserve undermines the policy by triggering an unintended race-to-fish. We study one of the world's largest marine reserves, the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), and find that fishers more than doubled their fishing effort once this area was earmarked for eventual protected status. The additional fishing effort resulted in an impoverished starting point for PIPA equivalent to 1.5 y of banned fishing. Extrapolating this behavior globally, we estimate that if other marine reserve announcements were to trigger similar preemptive fishing, this could temporarily increase the share of overextracted fisheries from 65% to 72%. Our findings have implications for general conservation efforts as well as the methods that scientists use to monitor and evaluate policy efficacy.
Topics: Animals; Color; Conservation of Natural Resources; Fisheries; Health Resources; Marine Biology; Policy
PubMed: 30150404
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1802862115