Agricultural Marine Biotechnology
Summary
Agricultural marine biotechnology harnesses marine organisms and their metabolites to advance sustainable food production and environmental management. In aquaculture, innovations include refined vaccine adjuvants, probiotics and integrated farming designs that boost fish health, recycle nutrients and reduce waste. On land, seaweed‐derived biofertilisers enrich soils, stimulate crop growth and lessen dependence on synthetic chemicals. Meanwhile, microbial bioremediation exploits sponge symbionts and other marine microbes to immobilise heavy metals and purify effluents from coastal farms. Through omics‐driven screening, eco‐engineered cultivation systems and targeted bioprocessing, this interdisciplinary field addresses food security, resource efficiency and ecological resilience by translating marine biodiversity into practical solutions for both aquatic and terrestrial agriculture.
Research from Nature Portfolio
A comparative study of intraperitoneal vaccine formulations in rainbow trout assessed non‐oil adjuvants—CpG oligodeoxynucleotides and a cationic liposomal system—alongside a traditional mineral oil benchmark. Both novel adjuvants significantly reduced local injection‐site pathology without compromising protective efficacy against Aeromonas salmonicida. Transcriptional profiling revealed distinct immune signatures, with CpG driving sustained T_H1‐type responses and liposomal adjuvants enhancing transient antibody titres and cell‐mediated markers. This work demonstrates safer and more targeted adjuvant strategies for finfish vaccines.
Investigations into sponge–microbe symbioses uncovered that a specific bacterial endosymbiont sequesters arsenic and barium by mineralising these elements as intracellular crystals. The bacterium within Theonella swinhoei forms discrete vesicles laden with metal minerals, effectively detoxifying the host and offering a model for microbial bioremediation of metal‐contaminated waters. Proteomic and imaging approaches outlined the mechanisms of metal accumulation, highlighting prospects for engineered biofilters in aquaculture effluent management.
Agricultural Marine Biotechnology publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in agricultural marine biotechnology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Adjuvant: A substance co‐administered with a vaccine antigen to enhance or direct the immune response.
Tight junction proteins: Components (e.g. occludin, ZO‐1) that seal epithelial cells and regulate barrier permeability.
Integrated multi‐trophic aquaculture (IMTA): A system co‐culturing fed species (finfish) with extractive species (seaweeds, shellfish) to recycle waste nutrients.
Bioremediation: The use of living organisms or their enzymes to detoxify pollutants in the environment.
Probiotic: Live microorganisms that, when delivered in adequate amounts, confer health benefits to the host.
References
- Alternatives to mineral oil adjuvants in vaccines against Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida in rainbow trout offer reductions in adverse effects. Scientific Reports (2017).
- Sponge-associated bacteria mineralize arsenic and barium on intracellular vesicles. Nature Communications (2017).
- Effect of Bacillus subtilis on Aeromonas hydrophila-induced intestinal mucosal barrier function damage and inflammation in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Scientific Reports (2017).
- Bio-Fertilizer Synthesis from Marine Biomass: An Eco-Friendly Approach to Sustainable Agriculture.
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