Final Report of Biomarine London Summit 24-25 Oct. 2012
Talks Include:
- Debate Marine Bio-Resources: A Bright Future
- Think Tank Algae and Aquafeed
- Think Tank Marine Biotech for Health
- Think Tank Nutraceuticals
- Think Tank Aquaculture
- Think Tank Microalgae & Nutrition
- Think Tank Marine Biotechs for Environment
- Aquaculture Debate
Studies on the biological aspects of economically important Indian seaweeds are reviewed in this paper. These include the taxonomy and ecological studies at different localities along the Indian coast. The growth pattern, periods of maximum growth, fruiting seasons for plants such as Cystoseira indica, Sargassum, Turbinaria, Gracilaria verrucosa and Gelidiella acerosa have been studied.
Commercial harvesting is suggested during peak growth periods to obtain larger quantity of raw materials and better yield of finished products. Spore shedding and the period of maximum sporulation which vary from one seaweed to another has been studied by estimation of spore output and observations on the liberation of spores. Information is available on the germination of spores, survival rate of germlings, culture of germlings and life history studies.
Many compelling management issues in Long Island Sound (LIS) focus on how organisms respond to stresses such as commercial and recreational harvesting, eutrophication, hypoxia, habitat degradation, invasion of non-native species, ocean acidification, and climate change. In order to address these complex problems, we must first understand the factors controlling biological processes and how organisms interact ecologically. This chapter provides an overview of the major groups of organisms occupying the dominant habitats of LIS.
Standing stock and in situ primary productivity of the southern Beaufort Sea phytoplankton were determined during the summers of 1973, 1974, and 1975. Average cell numbers were 10 times greater at inshore stations than at offshore stations at corresponding depths while the rate of primary productivity was 2 to 8 times greater at inshore stations. Cell numbers ranged from 2.0 to 4802.0 x 103 cells/1, while integrated productivity values averaged 47.45 mg C/m2/h for inshore stations and 8.82 mg C/m2/h for offshore stations. Possible reasons for a greater standing stock and primary productivity at inshore stations are discussed.
The largest group represented was the Bacillariophyta with 64 species, followed by the Pyrrophyta with 5 species, the Chrysophyta with 3 species, the Chlorophyta with 2 species and the Euglenophyta and Cyanophyta with 1 species each. There were at least 87 species identified.
The phytoplankton community consisted mainly of diatoms and flagellates. Diatoms dominated the inshore stations and flagellates were more abundant at offshore stations. Possible reasons for this unique distribution are discussed.
Diatoms were more sensitive than flagellates when they were exposed to crude oils, Corexit and crude oil-Corexit mixtures. The toxicity of crude oil-Corexit mixtures on algal photosynthesis and growth was greater than crude oil or Corexit alone. Possible long-term ecological consequences of such differential sensitivity and selective toxicity are discussed.
Primary production of seaweed was severely inhibited by all types of crude oil at relatively low concentrations.
Although Lobophora belongs to a marine algal family (Dictyotaceae) that produces a large array of secondary metabolites, it has received little atten- tion compared to other genera, such as Dictyota, in terms of natural compounds isolation and character- ization. However, metabolites produced by Lobo- phora species have been found to exhibit a wide array of bioactivities including pharmacological (e.g. antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, antitumoral), pes- ticidal, and ecological. This review aims to report the state-of-the-art of the natural products isolated from Lobophora species (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) and their associated bioactivities. All bioactivities docu- mented in the literature are reported, therefore including studies for which pure active substances were described, as well as studies limited to extracts or fractions. From the early 1980s until today, 49 scientific works have been published on Lobophora chemistry and bioactivity, among which 40 have reported bioactivities. Only six studies, however, have identified, characterized and tested no less than 23 bioactive pure compounds (three C21 polyunsaturated alcohols, three fatty-acids, a macrolactone, 11 polyke- tides, a few sulfated polysaccharides, three sulfolipids, a tocopherol derivative). The present review intends to raise awareness of chemists and biologists given the recent significant taxonomic progress of this brown algal genus, which holds a promising plethora of natural products yet to be discovered with ecological and pharmacological properties.
The synthesis, characterization and application of biologically synthesized nanomaterials are an important aspect in nanotechnology. The present study deals with the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) using the aqueous extract of red seaweed Gelidiella acerosa as the reducing agent to study the antifungal activity. The formation of Ag-NPs was confirmed by UV-Visible Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The synthesized Ag-NPs was predominately spherical in shape and polydispersed. Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) spectroscopy analysis showed that the synthesized nano-Ag was capped with bimolecular compounds which are responsible for reduction of silver ions. The antifungal effects of these nanoparticles were studied against Humicola insolens (MTCC 4520), Fusarium dimerum (MTCC 6583), Mucor indicus (MTCC 3318) and Trichoderma reesei (MTCC 3929). The present study indicates that Ag-NPs have considerable antifungal activity in comparison with standard antifungal drug, and hence further investigation for clinical applications is necessary.
‘Biogas’ is the word used to denote the mixtures of methane and carbon dioxide produced by bacterial action, in vitro, on various organic substrates. In vitro’, because similar mixtures of methane and carbon dioxide are formed by essentially the same bacterial actions in the gut of animals (in particular the rumen and similar organs of the herbivore gut; see previous papers) and in decaying vegetation in marshes and river beds.
The contents of this presentation are:
Basics of bio-energy & -gas
1. Intro; bioenergy? politics? ecomomy?
2. Biogas basics
3. Once upon a time
4. Process operation
Case seaweeds
5. Seaweeds?
6. The HRAD concept
7. Biogas for transport; LBG & CBG
8. Concluding remarks
The economic and environmental viability of dedicated terrestrial energy crops is in doubt. The production of large scale biomass (macroalgae) for biofuels in the marine environment was first tested in the late 1960’s. The culture attempts failed due to the engineering challenges of farming offshore. However the energy conversion via anaerobic digestion was successful as the biochemical composition of macroalgae makes it an ideal feedstock. The technology for the mass production of macroalgae has developed principally in China and Asia over the last 50 years to such a degree that it is now the single largest product of aquaculture. There has also been significant technology transfer and macroalgal cultivation is now well tried and tested in Europe and America. The inherent advantage of production of biofuel feedstock in the marine environment is that it does not compete with food production for land or fresh water. Here we revisit the idea of the large scale cultivation of macroalgae at sea for subsequent anaerobic digestion to produce biogas as a source of renewable energy, using a European case study as an example.
The aim of this chapter is to present a comprehensive overview of integrated bio-oxycombustion systems with photobioreactors. Divided into seven distinct topics, the chapter discusses issues related to fundamentals of oxycom- bustion, the operational implications for oxycombustion-enhanced performance, oxygen produced by photosynthesis, volatile organic compounds as energy source, photobioreactors design, the process integration in bio-oxycombustion systems, and the hurdles of bio-oxycombustion technology, summarizing a range of useful strategies directed to the sustainable development of industrial combustion systems.
Marine Agronomy Group, CAFNRM, UH-Hilo
200 W. Kawili st., HI 96720, USA
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