Global concerns about the possibly devastating effects of pollution are growing each day. And increasing emphasis is being placed on the
contamination of the world's oceans, as scientists continue to discover just how significant a role they play in the overall health of the earth and of humans.In 1998, BBSR established the International Center for Ocean and Human Health
in part to address these concerns and develop ways of monitoring the impacts of pollution on ocean health before they reach critical levels. BBSR's marine ecotoxicology team is studying the toxicological effects of pollutants, or toxins, on the ocean's organisms. Its aim is to develop tools and methods that will help communities and governments around the world become more aware of and better able to manage the effects of pollution on delicate marine ecosystems.
These effects can be studied at any level of biological organization, from whole populations -- the supra-organismal level -- to particular biomolecules, such as proteins and lipids. Until relatively
recently, most marine ecotoxicology was studied at the supra-organismal level. For instance, the impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill were studied in large part by examining the fatal effect the oil had on
a variety of animals that inhabited the Prince William Sound ecosystem. For an acute catastrophe such as an oil spill, supra-organismal ecotoxicology is an appropriate tool. However, many of the toxic
stresses to the ocean's ecosystems come from long-term exposure to much lower concentrations of polluting chemicals. In these cases, researchers don't want to wait for large numbers of a population to die,
or to stop reproducing, in order to conduct this kind of study of a contaminant's effects. Instead, they try to detect early warning signs that something is affecting the health of an ecosystem's
inhabitants. If such signs are detected, people and organizations with jurisdiction over the ecosystem have the opportunity to remove the sources of stress before the affected populations are irreparably
damaged. The ecotoxicology research community has developed "biomarkers" to serve as these early warning signals. These biomolecules show, or mark, characteristic responses when exposed to specific
stresses, such as pollutants. Depending on the biomarkers present, a scientist can tell exactly what the source of stress is: one biomarker pattern might implicate a pesticide used on golf courses, while
another might point to chemicals used in the anti-fouling paints on the bottoms of boats. For this reason, the biomarker approach to marine ecotoxicology has tremendous potential to help policymakers devise
new protocols that can be used to monitor and manage our marine coastal environments. Scientists associated with BBSR have taken a leadership role in using the biomarker approach to assess the health of
coral reef ecosystems. In September 2003, BBSR hosted the first International Coral Ecotoxicology and
Health Workshop, a gathering of more than 35 researchers from around the world. The weeklong workshop was funded by the Ocean Fund of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, with additional support provided by the
Bermuda Ministry of the Environment and by the U.S.
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA). BBSR scientists Richard Owen and Hank Trapido-Rosenthal, and Cheryl Woodley of NOAA organized the workshop, inviting an international panel of scientists active in coral research to bring their biomarker tools and techniques, ideas, recent findings and students to BBSR for a series of seminars, laboratory work and field demonstrations.
Charles Sheppard, editor of Marine Pollution Bulletin, began the week with a talk in which he enumerated the various threats faced by the planet's coral ecosystems. He challenged workshop
participants to address these threats through science, and also through education of the public and the governmental and industrial policymakers, as well as undergraduate and graduate research students.
Subsequent presentations from the participants demonstrated that they were well prepared to take up Dr. Sheppard's challenge. In reef ecosystems ranging from the Florida Keys to the Red Sea, from the Coral
Sea to the Sargasso Sea, scientists are beginning to apply the techniques of cell and molecular biology to questions involving the ways in which coral ecosystems respond to natural and anthropogenic stresses.
Participants agreed that the suite of techniques and areas of expertise represented at the workshop had the potential to be developed into a global program that could allow for the proactive, diagnostic
monitoring of reef ecosystems. Such a program will be of great benefit to the individuals and agencies responsible for the management of coral reef environments. It will enable them to monitor the
environments for which they are responsible in essentially the same way a doctor monitors the health of a patient; early stages of a disease condition can be detected and changes prescribed that will prevent
the illness from progressing. In subsequent editions of these workshops, the support from the Ocean Fund and co-sponsors will facilitate the development of this program of diagnostic monitoring. The results
of the 2003 workshop will be published in a special issue of Marine Pollution Bulletin. Ross Jones, a coral reef expert from the University of Queensland, was an enthusiastic participant in the
September workshop. He subsequently decided to leave Australia and join BBSR's faculty, bringing his innovative coral-monitoring PAM fluorimetry technology to Bermuda in February 2004. This instrument
directly assesses photosynthesis in coral, providing an immediate estimate of the state of a coral's metabolism. The Bermuda coral environment is an ideal platform upon which to develop the biomarker
approach. Bermuda's reefs, unlike many in the world, are in a relatively good state of health. Such health is critical for developing early warning biomarkers: in a degraded reef environment, such as that
found in some areas of the Caribbean, the early warning signs occurred decades ago. The ecotoxicology group had a successful start with Dr. Owen and technician Lucy Buxton. Now, with the PAM fluorimetry
capabilities of Dr. Jones, the molecular biology and biochemistry capabilities of Dr. Trapido-Rosenthal
and Andrea Bodnar, and the coral reef ecology experience of Samantha de Putron and Joanna Pitt, BBSR has the necessary elements to comprehensively apply the biomarker approach to coral reef
ecotoxicology.BBSR is expanding at exactly the right time to enable this team to maximize its potential. The first floor of BBSR's new laboratory building will contain an advanced seawater system, funded
by the U.S. National Science Foundation. This will include a
custom-built marine ecotoxicology exposure facility, made possible in large part through the efforts of BBSR Trustee Raymond Moore. This combination of biological resources, personnel and high-quality
scientific infrastructure will enable ecotoxicological research to advance our understanding of how coral ecosystems respond to toxicological stresses. |
Replanting Bermuda's Shores Bermuda's environment is a
major focus of BBSR's research efforts. Key components of the diverse inshore environment are the stands of mangroves that populate Bermuda's coastal zone. These partially submerged trees grow on
tidal wetlands, where their extensive root systems help to protect the shoreline and improve water clarity.In September 2003, after heavy waves during Hurricane Fabian
eroded the shoreline in some places where mangroves were absent, BBSR's Benthic Ecology Research Program undertook a mangrove planting experiment. BBSR scientist Joanna Pitt
worked with staff and students to try different methods of getting mangroves to grow in several locations along the shoreline of Ferry Reach. Some seeds were planted directly in the sand and some inside PVC pipes, which will protect them from wave action as they grow.
The long-term success of the project will be known in two or three years, after the seedlings have had more time to grow. The expectation is that the root systems of mature trees will help
stem erosion and flooding along Ferry Reach and other coastal areas. Mangrove forests are also vital to vulnerable marine life. Many species of coral reef fish, such as grunts and rainbow
parrotfish, live in the protective environment of mangrove roots for much of their early life, only departing for the reefs as they approach maturity. Without these so-called "nursery" habitats,
juvenile fish lose an important area for their development and become more vulnerable to predators. Despite the widespread ecological benefits that mangroves provide, their populations have
been in decline for the last century. The loss, due mainly to coastal development, has been felt throughout the entire ecosystem. New studies of mangrove forests in the Caribbean, for instance,
point to a strong link between the presence of mangrove trees and the health of some fish stocks, which are thought to rely on the protective and nutrient-rich environment of mangrove nurseries. Looking ahead, the hope is that BBSR's mangrove planting experiment will spark island-wide restoration projects. Already, Dr. Pitt's team has recorded signs of growth from the
seedlings along Ferry Reach, with new leaves branching out from the protective PVC pipes. If successful, this experiment may prove to be a model for future mangrove recovery efforts, and
contribute to the overall health of the marine environment. |
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