Biological wonders of the ocean floor are being mined to make commercial products – here are the risks

Thousands of genes from deep sea marine life are being used to create new products ranging from medicines to cosmetics. Genes are segments of DNA that provide instructions for making other molecules essential to the structure and function of living organisms.

A paper we recently published with other colleagues explores how bioprospecting, the search and discovery of potential products from animals, plants, and microorganisms, serves as a less destructive alternative to deep-sea mining. I investigated whether it is possible.

Remarkably, all of the largest companies using marine genetics source their genes from deep-sea organisms in some way. Deep-sea animals have unique genes that allow them to live in any other environment on Earth, including extreme cold, overwhelming pressure, and complete darkness.

What are these organisms?Most of them are microorganisms that have evolved over millions of years to thrive in extreme conditions. The most unique adaptations are those found around hydrothermal vents, where mineral-rich seawater superheated by magma erupts from cracks in the ocean floor.

Deep-sea enzymes are a class of molecules encoded by the genes of organisms that live in extreme environments and are stable under conditions where other enzymes often cannot function. Their ability to catalyze chemical reactions at high pressures and over a wide range of temperatures makes them commercially valuable in manufacturing industrial and consumer products such as pharmaceuticals, foods, detergents, and biofuels.

Biological exploration in the deep sea

One notable example is bacteria that live in highly saline habitats. The microorganism was isolated from seafloor sediment collected at a depth of 1,050 meters near Iheya Ridge, 130 kilometers off the coast of Iheya Island, Japan.

One of its enzymes has been shown to accelerate the conversion of farm waste to glucose by helping to break down cellulose into a pulp that is easier to decompose. This is an important step in converting biomass into ethanol, a renewable biofuel.

Another enzyme extracted from bacteria that exists at extremely high temperatures was found to be very efficient in completely removing lactose from milk.

Some organisms have contributed to multiple inventions, such as a deep-sea worm collected at a depth of 2,625 meters from a hydrothermal vent on the East Pacific Ridge, about 600 km off the coast of Mexico. The worm hosted bacteria that produce molecules used in the development of skin creams that make skin less susceptible to damage from the sun and air pollution. This bacterium also has an unusual ability to survive at temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius, making it a model organism for overcoming the overheating of small satellites in Earth orbit.

These are just a few of the more than 16,000 proteins from deep-sea species and used in technology that are cataloged in this database.

The potential for innovation from deep-sea species is understudied. As of 2024, only a quarter of the ocean floor has been mapped, and most deep-sea life remains undiscovered.

Mining dangers

However, the essential role of deep-sea organisms in the functioning of the Earth system may be much greater than previously understood.

Researchers recently discovered unusually high concentrations of oxygen, called “dark oxygen,” on the ocean floor of the Pacific Ocean. This oxygen may be produced by electrolysis, where an electric current separates water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Where does the charge occur on the ocean floor? Perhaps the surface of the polymetallic nodule has a rock-like formation composed of different metals that can create a potential difference when interacting with seawater. exists. The formation of these metals is influenced by the activity of microorganisms living on them, which in turn affects the chemical properties of the surrounding environment. The production of dark oxygen may be essential for the respiration of other species living in oceans lacking sunlight.

Unfortunately, deep sea ecosystems are under threat from seabed mineral extraction. Polymetallic nodules are considered a potential source of manganese, nickel, and rare earth elements, materials used in the manufacture of electronics and computers. The Clarion-Clipperton zone in the Pacific Ocean, where dark oxygen was recently discovered, has already been divided into 16 mining concessions.

Researchers and campaigners warn that deep-sea mining can cause serious damage to marine ecosystems, stressing that there is no scientific consensus on the long-term effects of such mining. I am doing it. The evolutionary history these ecosystems represent can be lost forever once they are disturbed.

The International Seabed Authority oversees the management of mining activities on the high seas. It has not yet authorized commercial mining, but has faced criticism for ignoring environmental concerns. The recent selection of ISA’s new Secretary-General, Leticia Carvalho, provides an opportunity to protect important areas of the world’s oceans that are of vital importance to both nature and human well-being.

We must rethink the true value of the deep sea and consider what its loss will mean for the rest of the world.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.