MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges opportunities · PDF fileMARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities ... Challenges & opportunities ... A marine species invades a new environment

MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities

D.ChandramohanIndiaMember, International Scientific Steering Committee, Census of Marine Life (COML)

Nagoya,Japan,July,2009

The First Asia‐Pacific Heads of Research Council (ASIAHORC) symposium on Biodiversity



Overview:

Status of BiodiversityThe problems of studying BiodiversityPeculiarities of the Marine environmentMarine Biodiversity –Patterns & ProcessesThe Challenges – Present & FutureThe opportunitiesCase StudiesConclusions



Three Major Challenges in Biodiversity

INVENTORIZATION

CONSERVATION

SUSTAINABLE USE



Three Major Challenges in Biodiversity

INVENTORIZATION

CONSERVATION

SUSTAINABLE USE



Animal and Plant species:many hard to identify, many to be

discovered





Identifying Life



250 years

1.7 million species

1500 -15000 years

10 -100 million species



Sustainable use……..

“the ability to continue a defined behaviour indefinitely”

“ introduction of and application of methods and processes for the utilization of biodiversity to prevent its long-term decline, thereby maintaining its potential to meet current and future human needs and aspirations”



Concept of Sustainability

• Central to Conservation

• Embodies social dimensions-including distribution, values and equity

• Understanding of the intrinsic limitations on the supply of biological products and ecological servicesSustainable use of Biodiversity

• Understanding of the concept greatly varies between different for and amongst different institutions and individuals

• There is no single dataset which has been developed to monitor changes of biodiversity subject to use for management

Problem of decision making



Need an on-line Encyclopedia of Life because impossible to create, update hard copy volumes for 1.7 million species. Similarly, need new ways to visualize and analyze large sets of species and specimens

Challenge for Biodiversity Informatics

SCALE

What about the Marine Environment ?



Nearly all animal phyla have marine representatives

Half of all marine phyla are exclusively marine

Approximately 230,000 marine species known

Most of the diversity in the oceans is yet to be discovered



Peculiarities of the ocean

Salt LightTemperaturePressureMicroscopic plantsInvertebrate animals commonLow concentration of nutrientGreater total organic matter compared to land Average Depth: 3800 m Max: 11,000 m

Total Volume of water: ~ 1370 million cubic km

Space: ~ 300 more space for life than land & freshwater



Light: essentially absent, except for bioluminescence

Temperature: low (~4°C) and constantSalinity: constant (~35 ppt)

Oxygen: generally adequate (may

be depleted near substratum)

Pressure: greatly elevated (can

exceed 1000 atm)

Food supply: extremely

limited (except near

hydrothermal vents)

Features of the Deep Sea

Oceans Present: Realm Projects







New Discoveries

Hydrothermal Vent Communities (Hot )

Gas Hydrate animal communities

Life in chemosynthesis Environments (Cold)

Starving majority deep beneath the sea floor (IODP)

Photosynthetic groups

Rare Microbial Communities of the deep (COML)

Exploration and DiscoverySome new species discoveries…

Athorybia rosacea – a siphonophore from the

Sargasso Sea

Palinurus barbarae –a lobster from around Madagascar

Promachoteuthis sloani – a squid from the mid-Atlantic Ridge

Ceratoserolis – an isopod from the Weddell Sea

Kiwa hirsuta – a crab from around Easter

Island (nicknamed the Yeti crab)



The Hidden Majority of the OceansAccording to one estimate there are 2 million different bacteria in the sea ( Curtis et.al.,2002).

But only 0.01-0.1% of the population can be cultured. (Amann et.al.,1995)

The solution : The “454 Tag Approach”



What are the challenges?Vastness of the ecosystem (s)Enormous cost of sampling resulting in inadequate samplingReal time visualization/ observation not possible at all timesHighly diversified flora & fauna –microbes to whalesNo reasonable forecast about future changesNew Life forms discovered even todayPossibility of losing them before recognitionLack of TaxonomistsHabitat destruction – Coastal and offshore developments; Pollutiono Shoreline erosion due to Ports & Harbourso Dredging & Disposalo Power plant cooling water intake and outfallo Desalination plants – Brine disposalo “Barotrauma” – Impact of Human generated noise on marine lifeo Deep-Sea mining and oil prospectingo Deep Sea Drilling Projects ( IODP )o Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZ)



What are the unique problems?Lack of boundariesFate of area beyond national jurisdictionInternational Shipping – Invasive speciesClimate change – Sea Level rise; Coral bleachingToxic blooms

Invasive speciesA marine species invades a new environment somewhere in the world every 9 weeks

Climate Change•Sea level could rise as much as 80 cm this centuary• Coral bleaching – Could affect all of the tropical coral reefs within 30 years• Ocean acidification from increased CO2 prevents marine shell and skeleton growth



What are the opportunities ?Evolving New Technologies

o Sample collectiono Continuous observation – in situ Labs, Instruments e.g. viruseso Visualization of underwater communities – AUV,ROV, Manned Submersibleso Global Observation through Satelliteso Molecular Taxonomy – Barcoding of Life , 454 Technology

Conservationo Preservation of habitats and ecosystems – Marine Parks & Biosphere

Reserveso Applying Precautionary Principleso Developing Global Awareness & Networking programmes

Sustainable useo New Management Practices – Policies & Guidelineso Sharing the knowledgeo International agreements



Case Studies

Census of Marine Life ( COML)

Barcoding of Life ( CBOL)

Genome Legacy ( Gene Bank-Canada)

Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve ( India)

Sethusamudram Shipping Channel ( India)

Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (COMAPS)(India)

Biodiversity Authority of India

Ocean Biogeography Observation System (OBIS) (COML)



Conclusions

We need to develop programmes at• Local Level ( Concentrate on Special Ecosystems)• Regional Level –Joint Programmes• Global Level – Network Programmes

Develop new methods & techniques-sampling,identification

Apply Precautionary Principles in all our activities

Implement International Treaties without any compromise

Share the Data without any Geographical restriction

Increase the Training and Awareness Programmes

Introduce New or Improved Management Practices for Conservation and Sustainable use

Ecosystems can be conceptualized as biochemical networks

Biodiversity = Biochemical diversity



Thank You

Acknowledgements

The Ecological Society of JapanThe First ASIAHORC Symposium OrganizersAsia-Pacific Heads of Research CouncilJapan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS)

Documents

MARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges opportunities · PDF fileMARINE BIODIVERSITY: Challenges & opportunities ... Challenges & opportunities ... A marine species invades a new environment