Molecular Biology in Marine Science Scientific Questions, Technological Approaches, and Practical Implications (1994) / Chapter Skim
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5 Chemical Ecology
5 Chemical Ecology
Pages 49-58
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From page 49... ...
For example, predators find their prey, and potential prey avoid their predators, in part by detecting water-borne chemical cues; organisms avoid predation by generating distasteful or even toxic compounds; individuals find mates of their species by following trace odors through the sea; and swimming larvae of bottomliving animals are recruited to adult populations or find habitats where they can survive as aciults by responding to specific chemical substances. In adclition, many marine plants and animals have evolved solutions to unique problems in the sea, such as production of special si |
From page 50... ...
For example, accumulating evidence indicates that the inI< clouds of squids, octopuses, and sea hares probably do much more than confuse potential predators visually. In schooling squid they may chemically signal other members of the school of the need for flight (Gilly and Lucero, 1992)
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From page 51... ...
Many marine organisms exist only in complex relationships with other organisms in various forms of symbiosis. Tropical corals and giant clams must harbor specific singe-celled algae to exist; shipworms, actually a kind of clam, can feed on wood only when their digestive systems harbor specific protozoa containing specific ce~utose-degrading bacterial symbionts; anemone fish live only among the tentacles of anemones; and parasites can survive only on or in specific host species.
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From page 52... ...
The deceptively low numbers for low purification high relative proportion of polyphenolic protein in the Techniques to Address the Scientific Questions The major questions in chemical ecology will yield answers more rapidly by the application of most of the methods of molecular biology described in Chapter 2. Specifically, isozyme techniques, as well as DNA sequence analysis, wit!
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From page 53... ...
, they often produce unique chemical compounds that provide the foundation for the next several decades of biomedical and agrichemica~ research. Recent studies of marine invertebrates have shown that they contain substances, many of which are defensive compounds, with significant potential for treatment of many human diseases.
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From page 54... ...
Such methods will allow reliable identification of microorganisms in environmental samples, thus potentially allowing problems to be recognized before they reach catastrophic levels. Marine microorganisms also represent a vast and rich biomedical resource that remains virtually untapped (Fenica~ and ~Jensen, ~ 992~.
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From page 55... ...
Chitin has an untapped commercial potential because it can be used for a large variety of industrial applications, including adhesives, chelating agents, paper and textile additives, and structural matrices, and its potential for promoting wound healing and other biomedical applications is enormous (Muzzare~i et al., ~ 936~. Complex Polysaccharides Complex po~ysaccharides from marine algae, especially agar, carrageenans, and aIginates, already form the basis of a $300 million per year industry for their uses as emulsifiers, stabilizers, and thickeners and for their biomedical applications.
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From page 56... ...
Adhesives Because they evolved in and still inhabit hostile environments where wave action requires a truly tight grip, many marine mussels, barnacles, and other invertebrates have incredibly strong glues that serve this purpose. In addition, these glues are secreted and "set" in a watery medium, a property lacking in most commercially available ac~hesives.
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From page 57... ...
, offering the potential for more efficient biomass conversion into methane than is obtained with low-temperature bacteria. Clearly, tremendous possibilities exist for the use of hydrothermal vent microorganisms in the chemical, energy, biomedical, and pollution treatment industries.
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