Journal article
Harnessing synthetic biology for kelp forest conservation1
Journal of Phycology, Vol.55(4), pp.745-751
08/2019
Metrics
28 Record Views
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites
Abstract
Environmental and climatic change is outpacing the ability of organisms to adapt, at an unprecedented level, resulting in range contractions and global ecosystem shifts to novel states. At the same time, scientific advances continue to accelerate, providing never-before imagined solutions to current and emerging environmental problems. Synthetic biology, the creation of novel and engineered genetic variation, is perhaps the fastest developing and transformative scientific field. Its application to solve extant and emerging environmental problems is vast, at times controversial, and technological advances have outpaced the social, ethical, and practical considerations of its use. Here, we discuss the potential direct and indirect applications of synthetic biology to kelp forest conservation. Rather than advocate or oppose its use, we identify where and when it may play a role in halting or reversing global kelp loss and discuss challenges and identify pathways of research needed to bridge the gap between technological advances and organismal biology and ecology. There is a pressing need for prompt collaboration and dialogue among synthetic biologists, ecologists, and conservationists to identify opportunities for use and ensure that extant research directions are set on trajectories to allow these currently disparate fields to converge toward practical environmental solutions.
Details
- Title
- Harnessing synthetic biology for kelp forest conservation1
- Creators
- Melinda A Coleman - New South Wales. Department of Primary IndustriesHugh D Goold - New South Wales. Department of Primary Industries
- Publication Details
- Journal of Phycology, Vol.55(4), pp.745-751
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.
- Number of pages
- 7
- Grant note
- M.A.C. and H.D.G. are supported by the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Australia. M.A.C was also supported by Australian Research Council Grants DP160100114 and DP190100058. H.D.G. is embedded at Macquarie University, the Synthetic Biology initiative at Macquarie University is financially supported by an internal grant from the University and external grants from Bioplatforms Australia, the New South Wales (NSW) Chief Scientist and Engineer, and NSW Department of Primary Industries.
- Identifiers
- 991012926986702368
- Copyright
- © 2019 Phycological Society of America
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; School of Environment, Science and Engineering; National Marine Science Centre
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article