Course: SAT 170 Introductory Biotechnology

Unit 13 Learning Module

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- Unit 13
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Biotechnology and Marine Life-Blue Biotechnology

The majority of living organisms inhabit aquatic habitats; by some estimates more than 80% of the earth’s biodiversity exists in aquatic habitats. However, little is known about these organisms and the biological characteristics that they possess. Marine biotechnology, also known as blue biotechnology, is focused on studying these aquatic organisms. The potential applications of investigating these organisms are vast. Some examples include the isolation of novel compounds that can be used as pharmaceuticals, industrial feedstock, and biofuels. Additionally, marine biotechnology aims to improve the monitoring and the supply of seafood. We will discuss these and more potential applications of marine biotechnology below.

Although the term “marine” generally implies aquatic habitats with high salinity, marine biotechnology covers all aquatic habitats. Salinity is a measure of salt content in a body of water or soil. Habitats such as oceans and seas tend to have high salinity and are often considered saltwater habitats. Freshwater habitats on the other hand, tend to have low levels of salinity and generally include things like rivers, lakes and streams. Estuaries are a unique habitat which results from the interactions of saltwater habitats and freshwater habitats (i.e. rivers flowing into a body of water which is connected to the open sea). Such habitats have a higher salinity than freshwater but a lower salinity than saltwater and are referred to as having brackish water. Additionally there are regions of land that serve as the transition between aquatic and terrestrial (land-based) ecosystems. Such wetlands as they are known are saturated with water some or all of the time. There are a variety of different wetlands including marshes, swamps, bogs and fens. Often, the same living organisms that are found in aquatic habitats are also found in these wetlands, presumably because of their close association with one another. Now that we have a better understanding of the habitats for these aquatic dwelling organisms, we can begin to discuss some of the things we have discovered about these organisms through the efforts of marine biotechnologists.

Saltwater habitats like the Baltic Sea shown here have high levels of salinity that the organisms of such habitats must be able to tolerate. | Habitats such as streams and rivers (shown here) are examples of freshwater habitats which have very low levels of salinity. | An estuary forms where a freshwater and saltwater habitat interact such as that which is shown here.

Marine-derived products provide new resources which can be harvested for industrial, medical and agricultural purposes.
Some of the industrial applications of marine-derived products include those that were discussed in our previous unit such as using organisms as a source of bioreagents for the chemical reactions needed for industrial production. We also discussed the role of biomass feedstock in our unit on industrial biotechnology; marine organisms can also serve as sources of biomass for both feedstock and biofuels. Recall that feedstock is a term used to describe the raw materials that serve as inputs for an industrial process. The main forms of marine biomass that are used as sources of biofuel are algae and microalgae. Algae are a diverse group of mostly photosynthetic organisms which have both unicellular and multicellular forms. The multicellular forms are large and in many ways resemble plants; these are commonly referred to as seaweed. Microscopic forms of algae are unicellular and are referred to as microalgae. Algae tend to grow very quickly and the fact that most species of algae carry out photosynthesis makes them a valuable resource for the ecosystem. This is because during the process of photosynthesis, organisms remove carbon dioxide from the environment and release oxygen to the environment. Additionally, the major products of photosynthesis are organic compounds that are valuable sources of nutrition for other organisms. It is these organic products that are used as fuel when algae are harvested as a source of biofuel.

Seaweed (shown here) is a type of multicellular algae which can serve a variety of roles in biotechnology including being a source of cosmetic ingredients and biomass for biofuel. | Unicellular algae can be used in the same ways as multicellular algae. Microalgae tend to form large aggregates, seen as a green film, such as the algae shown covering these rocks.

Many different cosmetic products are made with marine-derived ingredients, much like the product shown here.

The cosmetics industry is one which is becoming highly dependent on marine biotechnology. The demand for natural and organic skin care, hair care and other health and beauty products has been rapidly increasing over the past several years and many cosmetic companies have turned to the seas for ingredients. Most significantly contributing to cosmetic products are algae. Algae are known to be rich in antioxidants which make them valuable sources of anti-aging compounds. Two of the most popular cosmetic ingredients include extracts from the species of green algae known as Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella pyrenoidosa. There is growing concern about the impacts of the widespread use of algae in such cosmetic products as there are currently thousands of such products available with the use of algae more than doubling in less than ten years. Marine collagen, which is often derived from fish scales, represents another popular marine-derived ingredient for cosmetics. Collagen is an essential component of many body tissues including skin, hair and bones. As we age, the sagging and wrinkling of the skin is associated with a loss of collagen, thus cosmetics which include marine collagen have anti-aging properties. Sea water is another substance which has long been used as an ingredient in cosmetics. Sea water contains a variety of minerals which are thought to be important for a healthy body including skin and hair.