[wonder if anyone is approaching the producers of Survivor which will be on Tuvalu
this fall, about covering the
impacts there? would make a cool story ...]
----- forwarded message ------
Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 06:53:08 -0600
From: Teresa Binstock <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Ocean medicines could be lost as biodiversity dwindles
Ocean medicines could be lost
By Carolyn Fry
in Galway, Ireland
Plants and animals living in the oceans could provide new antibiotics,
drug treatments and painkillers.
But scientists believe these unexplored resources may disappear before
we have had the chance to tap their potential.
Fishing, climate change and pollution are altering the food chains in
the ocean - reducing biodiversity.
The decline needs to be stopped before it is too late, delegates to the
European Conference on Marine Science and Ocean Technology in Ireland said.
Rich diversity
"Life originated in the oceans and has evolved over a much longer time
than on land, so the diversity of life is far greater," Professor Carlo
Heip, of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, said at EurOCEAN 2004.
However, marine biodiversity is very poorly known.
We need to know how biodiversity is maintained as the ocean is a very
important resource for humanity
Dr Adrianna Ianora
Only a few hundred thousand species of marine plants and animals have
been scientifically described; and in terms of micro-organisms, we are
just scratching the surface of what exists.
Species have evolved several tricks to survive the rigours of the ocean
environment. Many organisms produce molecules designed to give them a
competitive edge, in the fight for survival.
These molecules can, for example, make the host creature taste bad, or
even render them toxic enough to kill predators outright.
Some sessile creatures, unable to move location, cover themselves in
secretions that prevent bacteria from colonising them.
New drugs
Scientists are studying such marine organisms with a view to learning
more about cell functions, and using this knowledge to develop new drugs.
One line of work has focused on diarrhetic shellfish poisoning in Europe.
Dinoflagellates produce a toxin called okadaic acid which induces cramps
and sickness in humans who eat shellfish exposed to dinoflagellate
blooms in seawater.
Scientists have discovered that the acid can also induce cancer and
interfere with testosterone - possibly even causing sterility.
"Scientists researching anti-cancer drugs look for molecules which are
designed to arrest cell growth," explained Dr Adrianna Ianora, an
ecologist at Stazione Zoologica, Anton Dohrn, Italy.
"In addition toxic creatures, such as poisonous snails from the
Indo-Pacific, are being explored for their potential to help produce
drugs to alleviate pain."
Human activity
Although the oceans have huge potential to provide us with new drugs,
they are being altered by human activities.
Overfishing has depleted the number of large predators, such as sharks,
affecting food webs down to microbe level.
Alien species carried out of their natural environment in the ballast
water of ships are changing local ecosystem dynamics, and scientists
suggest climate change may ultimately affect the acidity of seawater.
No one knows what the impact of these changes will be.
"It's important to look not just at biodiversity but at how ecosystems
function," said Dr Ianora.
"We need to know how biodiversity is maintained as the ocean is a very
important resource for humanity."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/3711079.stm
Published: 2004/05/13 12:56:48 GMT
© BBC MMIV
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