Diversity and Biopharmaceutical Assessments of Deep Sea, Mineral Rich Biomes off Southern California

Описание: Date: August 16, 2023

Speakers: Lisa Levin, Distinguished Professor Emerita, Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego; Paul Jensen, Professor, Center for Marion Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego

Summary: The Southern California Borderland (SCB) hosts deepwater mineral deposits that are in high demand. These deposits provide habitat for diverse, poorly characterized invertebrate and microbial communities. With rising demand for deepwater mineral resources, there is a need to acquire baseline biodiversity measurements to establish tradeoffs associated with their exploitation. We will discuss efforts to assess the potential of benthic marine communities associated with mineral-rich, deep-sea sites in the SCB. Our analyses demonstrate unique patterns of biodiversity and provide linkages between biodiversity and biopharmaceutical potential.

Keywords: deep-sea, biodiversity, mineral deposits

About the Speakers: Lisa A. Levin is a Distinguished Professor Emerita of Biological Oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. Her current research interests include biodiversity of continental margin ecosystems and the effects of climate change and human impacts on the deep ocean. She works to bring deep-sea science to policy through her work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative, and the Deep Ocean Observing Strategy.

Paul Jensen is a Professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. His research interests lie at the interface of marine microbiology and natural products chemistry. His lab addresses fundamental questions such as what marine microbes produce natural products, where they live, why they make them, and how to exploit them for useful purposes including drug discovery.