海洋科学中的分子生物学.doc

Molecular Biology in Marine Science Scientific,Questions,Technological,Approaches, and Practical Implications (1994) (海洋科学中的分子生物学) MOLECULAR BIOLOGY IN MARINE SCIENCE OCR for page 1The ocean plays an important role in regulating the earths climate, sustains a large portion of the earths biodiversity, is a tremendous reservoir of commercially important substances, and is used for a variety of often conflicting purposes. In recent decades marine scientists have discovered much about the ocean and its organisms, yet many important fundamental questions remain unanswered. Human populations have increased, particularly in coastal regions. As a result, the marine environment in these areas is increasingly disrupted by human activities, including pollution and the depletion of some ecologically and commercially important species. There is a sense of urgency about reducing human impacts on the ocean and a need to understand how altered ecosystems and the loss of marine species and biodiversity could affect society. During the past two decades, the development of sophisticated technologies and instruments for biomedical research has resulted in significant advances in the biological sciences. While some of these technologies have been readily incorporated into the study of marine organisms as models for understanding basic biology, the value of molecular techniques for addressing problems in marine biology and biological oceanography has only recently begun to be appreciated. The exploitation of molecular biological techniques will allow difficult research questions about marine organisms and ocean processes to be addressed and will offer new capabilities to tackle problems associated with global climate change, biodiversity, environmental quality, and responsible use of living marine resources. The knowledge gained from basic research on marine organisms could also provide a basis for new commercial opportunities of economic importance for future ge