1. A new tool for faster construction of marine biotechnology collaborative networksAna Rotter, Susana P. Gaudêncio, Katja Klun, Jan-Niklas Macher, Olivier Thomas, Irem Deniz, Christine Edwards, Ernesta Grigalionyte-Bembič, Z. Ljubešić, Johan Robbens, Giovanna Cristina Varese, Marlen I. Vasquez, 2021, other scientific articles Abstract: The increasing and rapid development in technologies, infrastructures, computational power, data availability and information flow has enabled rapid scientific advances. These entail transdisciplinary collaborations that maximize sharing of data and knowledge and, consequently, results, and possible technology transfer. However, in emerging scientific fields it is sometimes difficult to provide all necessary expertise within existing collaborative circles. This is especially true for marine biotechnology that directly addresses global societal challenges. This article describes the creation of a platform dedicated to facilitating the formation of short or mid-term collaborative networks in marine biotechnology. This online platform (https://www.ocean4biotech.eu/map/) enables experts (researchers and members of the marine biotechnology community in general) to have the possibility to showcase their expertise with the aim of being integrated into new collaborations/consortia on the one hand, or to use it as a search tool to complement the expertise in planned/running collaborations, on the other. The platform was created within the Ocean4Biotech (European transdisciplinary networking platform for marine biotechnology) Action, funded under the framework of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST). To build the platform, an inquiry was developed to identify experts in marine biotechnology and its adjunct fields, to define their expertise, to highlight their infrastructures and facilities and to pinpoint the main bottlenecks in this field. The inquiry was open to all experts in the broad field of marine biotechnology, including non-members of the consortium. The inquiry (https://ee.kobotoolbox.org/single/UKVsBNtD) remains open for insertion of additional expertise and the resulting interactive map can be used as a display and search tool for establishing new collaborations.
Published in DiRROS: 06.08.2024; Views: 103; Downloads: 62
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2. Jellyfish-associated microbiome in the marine environment : exploring its biotechnological potentialTinkara Tinta, Tjaša Kogovšek, Katja Klun, Alenka Malej, Gerhard J. Herndl, Valentina Turk, 2019, review article Abstract: Despite accumulating evidence of the importance of the jellyfish-associated microbiome to jellyfish, its potential relevance to blue biotechnology has only recently been recognized. In this review, we emphasize the biotechnological potential of host–microorganism systems and focus on gelatinous zooplankton as a host for the microbiome with biotechnological potential. The basic characteristics of jellyfish-associated microbial communities, the mechanisms underlying the jellyfish-microbe relationship, and the role/function of the jellyfish-associated microbiome and its biotechnological potential are reviewed. It appears that the jellyfish-associated microbiome is discrete from the microbial community in the ambient seawater, exhibiting a certain degree of specialization with some preferences for specific jellyfish taxa and for specific jellyfish populations, life stages, and body parts. In addition, different sampling approaches and methodologies to study the phylogenetic diversity of the jellyfish-associated microbiome are described and discussed. Finally, some general conclusions are drawn from the existing literature and future research directions are highlighted on the jellyfish-associated microbiome. Keywords: Cnidaria, Ctenophora, biodiversity, bioactive compounds, microbial communities, blue biotechnology Published in DiRROS: 06.08.2024; Views: 165; Downloads: 72
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3. Between source and sea : the role of wastewater treatment in reducing marine microplasticsShirra Freeman, Andy M. Booth, Isam Sabbah, Rachel Tiller, Jan Dierking, Katja Klun, Ana Rotter, Eric Ben David, Jamileh Javidpour, Dror Angel, 2020, review article Abstract: Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are a focal point for the removal of microplastic (MP) particles before they are discharged into aquatic environments. WWTPs are capable of removing substantial quantities of larger MP particles but are inefficient in removing particles with any one dimension of less than 100 μm, with influents and effluents tending to have similar quantities of these smaller particles. As a single WWTP may release >100 billion MP particles annually, collectively WWTPs are significant contributors to the problem of MP pollution of global surface waters. Currently, there are no policies or regulations requiring the removal of MPs during wastewater treatment, but as concern about MP pollution grows, the potential for wastewater technologies to capture particles before they reach surface waters has begun to attract attention. There are promising technologies in various stages of development that may improve the removal of MP particles from wastewater. Better incentivization could speed up the research, development and adoption of innovative practices. This paper describes the current state of knowledge regarding MPs, wastewater and relevant policies that could influence the development and deployment of new technologies within WWTPs. We review existing technologies for capturing very small MP particles and examine new developments that may have the potential to overcome the shortcomings of existing methods. The types of collaborations needed to encourage and incentivize innovation within the wastewater sector are also discussed, specifically strong partnerships among scientific and engineering researchers, industry stakeholders, and policy decision makers. Keywords: wastewater, microplastic, particle removal, innovation, policy, jellyfish mucus Published in DiRROS: 06.08.2024; Views: 153; Downloads: 66
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4. Valorization of marine waste : use of industrial by-products and beach wrack towards the production of high added-value productsVita Rudovica, Ana Rotter, Susana P. Gaudêncio, Lucie Novoveská, Füsun Akgül, Linn Kristin Akslen-Hoel, Diogo A. M. Alexandrino, Olga Anne, Lauris Arbidans, Miroslava Atanassova, Magdalena Bełdowska, Jacek Bełdowski, Amit Bhatnagar, Oskars Bikovens, Katja Klun, 2021, review article Abstract: Biomass is defined as organic matter from living organisms represented in all kingdoms. It is recognized to be an excellent source of proteins, polysaccharides and lipids and, as such, embodies a tailored feedstock for new products and processes to apply in green industries. The industrial processes focused on the valorization of terrestrial biomass are well established, but marine sources still represent an untapped resource. Oceans and seas occupy over 70% of the Earth’s surface and are used intensively in worldwide economies through the fishery industry, as logistical routes, for mining ores and exploitation of fossil fuels, among others. All these activities produce waste. The other source of unused biomass derives from the beach wrack or washed-ashore organic material, especially in highly eutrophicated marine ecosystems. The development of high-added-value products from these side streams has been given priority in recent years due to the detection of a broad range of biopolymers, multiple nutrients and functional compounds that could find applications for human consumption or use in livestock/pet food, pharmaceutical and other industries. This review comprises a broad thematic approach in marine waste valorization, addressing the main achievements in marine biotechnology for advancing the circular economy, ranging from bioremediation applications for pollution treatment to energy and valorization for biomedical applications. It also includes a broad overview of the valorization of side streams in three selected case study areas: Norway, Scotland, and the Baltic Sea. Published in DiRROS: 05.08.2024; Views: 104; Downloads: 102
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5. The importance of jellyfish-microbe interactions for biogeochemical cycles in the oceanTinkara Tinta, Katja Klun, Gerhard J. Herndl, 2021, review article Abstract: Jellyfish blooms can represent a significant but largely overlooked source of organic matter (OM), in particular at the local and regional scale. We provide an overview of the current state of knowledge on the bloom-forming jellyfish as sink and source of OM for microorganisms. In particularly, we compare the composition, concentration, and release rates of the OM excreted by living jellyfish with the OM stored within jellyfish biomass, which becomes available to the ocean's interior only once jellyfish decay. We discuss how these two stoichiometrically different jelly-OM pools might influence the dynamics of microbial community and the surrounding ecosystem. We conceptualize routes of jelly-OM in the ocean, focusing on different envisioned fates of detrital jelly-OM. In this conceptual framework, we revise possible interactions between different jelly-OM pools and microbes and highlight major knowledge gaps to be addressed in the future. Published in DiRROS: 05.08.2024; Views: 105; Downloads: 92
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6. From the sea to aquafeed : a perspective overviewOrhan Tufan Eroldogan, Brett Glencross, Lucie Novoveská, Susana P. Gaudêncio, Buki Rinkevich, Giovanna Cristina Varese, Maria F. Carvalho, Deniz Tasdemir, Ivo Safarik, Soren Laurentius Nielsen, Céline Rebours, Lada Lukić-Bilela, Johan Robbens, Evita Strode, Berat Z. Haznedaroglu, Marlen I. Vasquez, Ivana Čabarkapa, Slađana Rakita, Katja Klun, Ana Rotter, 2023, review article Abstract: Aquaculture has been one of the fastest-growing food production systems sectors for over three decades. With its growth, the demand for alternative, cheaper and high-quality feed ingredients is also increasing. Innovation investments on providing new functional feed alternatives have yielded several viable alternative raw materials. Considering all the current feed ingredients, their circular adaption in the aquafeed manufacturing industry is clearly of the utmost importance to achieve sustainable aquaculture in the near future. The use of terrestrial plant materials and animal by-products predominantly used in aquafeed ingredients puts a heavily reliance on terrestrial agroecosystems, which also has its own sustainability concerns. Therefore, the aquafeed industry needs to progress with functional and sustainable alternative raw materials for feed that must be more resilient and consistent, considering a circular perspective. In this review, we assess the current trends in using various marine organisms, ranging from microorganisms (including fungi, thraustochytrids, microalgae and bacteria) to macroalgae and macroinvertebrates as viable biological feed resources. This review focuses on the trend of circular use of resources and the development of new value chains. In this, we present a perspective of promoting novel circular economy value chains that promote the re-use of biological resources as valuable feed ingredients. Thus, we highlight some potentially important marine-derived resources that deserve further investigations for improving or addressing circular aquaculture. Published in DiRROS: 05.08.2024; Views: 86; Downloads: 107
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7. Non-indigenous species in the Mediterranean Sea : turning from pest to source by developing the 8Rs model, a new paradigm in pollution mitigationAna Rotter, Katja Klun, Janja Francé, Patricija Mozetič, Martina Orlando-Bonaca, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: For mitigation of the effects of pollution, the media, policy makers and, in turn, the scientific community and industry each provide contributions through development of a sense of urgency, and with guidelines and solutions. For non-indigenous species (NIS) that can frequently have negative impacts on the native biota, this is often conveyed in an emotive way to the general public, who are typically keen to help and to get personally involved. This might be through organization of cleaning campaigns, influence on the media, or collaboration with scientists, to inform them of the local presence and abundance of NIS. Alternatively, they might proactively develop technological solutions themselves. To assess the current state of affairs, we reviewed the presence and effects of NIS in the Mediterranean Sea. As so often, any well-planned and successful activity is directly linked to financing, or a lack thereof, and this leads to sometimes untargeted and sporadic measures that are developed within a project or over a limited timeframe, without any sustainability measures. Therefore, we also assessed the activities and strategies that have been financed in this area of NIS mitigation. Based on this review of the presence and impact of NIS, and previous and ongoing activities, we propose a new paradigm to mitigate such pollution: the 8Rs model (i.e., Recognize, Reduce, Replace, Reuse, Recycle, Recover/Restore, Remove, and Regulate). This model extends from the more traditional 3Rs model (i.e., Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) that is often used and promoted for innovative waste management strategies. Importantly, the 8Rs model can be applied sequentially, for either prevention of NIS introduction, or preparation of mitigation measures. The 8Rs model was constructed based on Mediterranean NIS, although we believe it can be applied to other sources of pollution and other geographic areas. Importantly, the 8Rs model represents a general framework to organize and categorize future pollution mitigation strategies. This approach is essential for development of any action plan to influence the administrative and financial decision makers who essentially enable these activities, and therefore who have important roles in the guarantee of sustainability of these actions, and the creation of innovative societies. Keywords: non-indigenous species, pollution mitigation, pollution mitigation, 8Rs model, quadruple helix, Mediterranean Sea, citizen science, communication, sustainability Published in DiRROS: 22.07.2024; Views: 147; Downloads: 133
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8. Microbial processing of jellyfish detritus in the oceanTinkara Tinta, Zihao Zhao, Alvaro Escobar, Katja Klun, Barbara Bayer, Chie Amano, Luca Bamonti, Gerhard J. Herndl, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: When jellyfish blooms decay, sinking jellyfish detrital organic matter (jelly-OM), rich in proteins and characterized by a low C:N ratio, becomes a significant source of OM for marine microorganisms. Yet, the key players and the process of microbial jelly-OM degradation and the consequences for marine ecosystems remain unclear. We simulated the scenario potentially experienced by the coastal pelagic microbiome after the decay of a bloom of the cosmopolitan Aurelia aurita s.l. We show that about half of the jelly-OM is instantly available as dissolved organic matter and thus, exclusively and readily accessible to microbes. During a typical decay of an A. aurita bloom in the northern Adriatic Sea about 100 mg of jelly-OM L–1 becomes available, about 44 μmol L–1 as dissolved organic carbon (DOC), 13 μmol L–1 as total dissolved nitrogen, 11 μmol L–1 of total hydrolyzable dissolved amino acids (THDAA) and 0.6 μmol L–1 PO43–. The labile jelly-OM was degraded within 1.5 days (>98% of proteins, ∼70% of THDAA, 97% of dissolved free amino acids and the entire jelly-DOC pool) by a consortium of Pseudoalteromonas, Alteromonas, and Vibrio. These bacteria accounted for >90% of all metabolically active jelly-OM degraders, exhibiting high bacterial growth efficiencies. This implies that a major fraction of the detrital jelly-OM is rapidly incorporated into biomass by opportunistic bacteria. Microbial processing of jelly-OM resulted in the accumulation of tryptophan, dissolved combined amino acids and inorganic nutrients, with possible implications for biogeochemical cycles. Published in DiRROS: 22.07.2024; Views: 135; Downloads: 127
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9. Single-use plastic bans pollution : exploring stakeholder perspectives on best practices for reducing plasticEmily Cowan, Andy M. Booth, Andreas Misund, Katja Klun, Ana Rotter, Rachel Tiller, 2021, original scientific article Abstract: Abstract
In this study, we conducted and documented workshops and interviews in Norway and Slovenia to identify stakeholder and future generation opinions and mitigation strategies for solving one of the most prominent environmental issues: plastic pollution. As part of the EU H2020 project GoJelly, stakeholders were brought together to explore their perceptions on considering jellyfish mucus as a new resource to contribute to reducing plastic pollution from entering the marine environment. The study was conducted in the spring of 2019, in a context directly after the European Union (EU) announced its Directive to ban the most commonly used single-use plastic (SUP) items. The study applied the snowball method as a methodological choice to identify relevant stakeholders. Systems thinking was utilized as a participatory modelling approach, which allowed for the creation of conceptual mind maps from the various workshops and interviews, to understand consumers’ consciousness, and to map out ideas on plastic pollution reduction. Plastic pollution takes place on a global scale and stakeholders discussed their individual perceptions of national and international solutions that could be put in place to solve it, including the opportunities around utilizing jellyfish mucus to filter and capture micro- and nanoplastic. We found that industry stakeholders in both case areas were generally more accepting of policy and increased innovation moving forward, but placed weight on the scientific community to conduct more research on the pollution issue and propose solutions. Future generation stakeholders (youth aged 14–18), however, put emphasis on consumer behavior and buying patterns of single-use products fueling the plastic crisis. Keywords: ecology, plastics, single-use plastic, stakeholder integration, plastic pollution, systems thinking Published in DiRROS: 19.07.2024; Views: 132; Downloads: 107
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10. Sequestration of polystyrene microplastics by jellyfish mucusŽiva Lengar, Katja Klun, Iztok Dogša, Ana Rotter, David Stopar, 2021, original scientific article Abstract: The worldwide microplastics pollution is a serious environmental and health problem that is currently not effectively mitigated. In this work we tested jellyfish mucus as a new bioflocculent material capable of sequestration of polystyrene microplastics in aqueous environments. Mucus material was collected from different jellyfish species and was used to trap fluorescently tagged polystyrene microspheres. The efficiency of removal was tested using varying concentrations of microplastics and mucus. The interaction between the microplastics and mucus was determined by viscosity measurements and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Different mucus preparation methods were also tested: freshly prepared, mechanically sheared, freeze-thawed, freeze-dried, and hydrolyzed mucus. The results demonstrate that jellyfish mucus can efficiently sequester polystyrene microplastics particles from the suspension. The fraction of the removed microplastics was highest with freshly prepared mucus and decreased with freeze-thawing and freeze-drying. The mucus ability to sequester microplastics was completely lost in the hydrolyzed mucus. The results imply that the intact jellyfish mucus has the potential to be used as a biopolymer capable of removing microplastics material. Published in DiRROS: 19.07.2024; Views: 118; Downloads: 126
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