Difference between revisions of "The Ocean as a natural heritage"
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Why do we prepare seemingly endless lists of species of marine organisms? It is foremost an attempt to understand the functioning of the biosphere and hence to help manage the services and goods delivered. Organisms occupy habitats and form an integral part of ecosystems, whose function and dynamics are determined by the variety, abundance and activities of these organisms. The diversity shift is monitored through taxonomic experts and compiled in a global database (Census of Marine Life – CoML - http://www.coml.org). There is growing evidence for the loss of population diversity, where smaller or more delicate (e.g., deep-sea and polar) populations are the first victims (Reynolds et al. 2005). | Why do we prepare seemingly endless lists of species of marine organisms? It is foremost an attempt to understand the functioning of the biosphere and hence to help manage the services and goods delivered. Organisms occupy habitats and form an integral part of ecosystems, whose function and dynamics are determined by the variety, abundance and activities of these organisms. The diversity shift is monitored through taxonomic experts and compiled in a global database (Census of Marine Life – CoML - http://www.coml.org). There is growing evidence for the loss of population diversity, where smaller or more delicate (e.g., deep-sea and polar) populations are the first victims (Reynolds et al. 2005). | ||
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| + | <ref name="MGE">Volckaert F.A.M., Barbier M., Canário A.V.M., Clark M.S., Glöckner F.O., Olsen J.L., Wesnigk J., Boyen C. (2008) Marine Genomics Europe. The European flagship of marine sciences for a sustainable future. 38 pp. Marine Genomics Europe, EC-FP6 GOCE-CT-2004-505403</ref> | ||
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| + | {{category:The European Flagship in Marine Sciences for a Sustainable Future}} | ||
Revision as of 14:49, 18 July 2012
THE ORIGIN OF LIFE
Microbial life originated in the ocean an estimated 3.6 billion years ago, and eukaryotic life some 2.1 to 3.0 billion years ago. A wide diversity of multicellular life appeared some 1.26-0.95 billion years ago. Land became colonized by green plants 0.60 billion years ago and man has joined life on earth a mere 200,000 years ago. The long evolution on Planet Ocean has generated a wealth of biodiversity at the gene, species and ecosystem level. Some aspects have received a disproportionate level of attention with concentration on a top down approach where organisms close to man such as whales, fish and shellfish have been prioritized. In contrast others have been neglected, such as the microbes and viruses. Genomics helps with this.
GENOMICS AND THE TREE OF LIFE
A total of 212,000 species have been identified in the ocean (Jaume & Duarte 2006), but the tally on species diversity is expected to reach millions, possibly even more than on land. However, we know very little about most species identified, let alone those yet to be discovered. Building the ultimate Tree of Life is a huge challenge, and several conditions have to be met.
LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
Why do we prepare seemingly endless lists of species of marine organisms? It is foremost an attempt to understand the functioning of the biosphere and hence to help manage the services and goods delivered. Organisms occupy habitats and form an integral part of ecosystems, whose function and dynamics are determined by the variety, abundance and activities of these organisms. The diversity shift is monitored through taxonomic experts and compiled in a global database (Census of Marine Life – CoML - http://www.coml.org). There is growing evidence for the loss of population diversity, where smaller or more delicate (e.g., deep-sea and polar) populations are the first victims (Reynolds et al. 2005).
References
- ↑ Volckaert F.A.M., Barbier M., Canário A.V.M., Clark M.S., Glöckner F.O., Olsen J.L., Wesnigk J., Boyen C. (2008) Marine Genomics Europe. The European flagship of marine sciences for a sustainable future. 38 pp. Marine Genomics Europe, EC-FP6 GOCE-CT-2004-505403
Category:The European Flagship in Marine Sciences for a Sustainable Future
