COLLEGE OF APPLIED AND NATURAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

2nd semester for 3rd year Biotechnology students

Instructor: Gebiru Sinshaw MSc.

Aquatic Biotechnology (Biot3118)

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Aquatic biotechnology
Q1. What Is the General Nature of Aquatic Systems?
 Salt water and fresh water aquatic life zones cover
almost three-fourths of the earth’s surface, with oceans
dominating the planet.

 The key factors determining biodiversity in aquatic

systems are
 temperature,
 dissolved oxygen content,
 availability of food and availability of light,
 and nutrients necessary for photosynthesis.

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 The greater part of the earth’s water is ocean (sea water). Only
3% of water on the surface is fresh; the remaining 97% resides
in the ocean.
 Of freshwater, 69% resides in glaciers, 30% underground, and
less than 1% is located in lakes, rivers, and swamps.

 Studying sea plants and animals is a challenge that is becoming

easier due to advanced technologies such as deep-sea
submersibles, sonar, lasers, videos, and satellites.

 This means water on Earth, as a habitat for many tiny

organisms, medium and large water animals is very significant,
and together, become the Aquatic Biome.

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 Water on Earth is not all the same. They vary widely in terms of
the chemical makeup, the nature of its flow or stillness,
temperature and so on.

 This means that plant and animal life in these waters will be
different too.

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Q2. How many types are there Aquatic Systems?
 Several, depending on how close we look!
 Freshwater (Limnology)
 Lakes (lentic)
 Rivers (lotic)
 Groundwater
 Brackish water (inter-tidal)
 Marine water (Oceanography)
 Anthropogenic waters (i.e drinking water)

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Importance of aquatic ecosystems
 Biodiversity
 Species richness/trophic structure
 Breeding
 Breeding grounds for many species
 Buffer systems
 Physical and chemical
 Sinks
 Resting places for sediments and chemicals
 Only part of the hydrological cycle

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Q3. What is an Aquatic Ecosystem?
 Aquatic ecosystems is an umbrella term for all ecosystems that
exist in water.

 Aquatic Ecosystems, simply, is an ecosystem type that depend on

water (both marine and fresh water) most or part of the time.

 Ascientist who studies inland water ecosystems (limnology) is

called a limnologist.

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 Aquatic Systems

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 Water-based ecosystems can be put into two main
groups namely
1) Marine Ecosystems and

2)Freshwater Ecosystems

1) Marine Ecosystems
 Marine Ecosystems describe the biotic and abiotic
interactions that occur in the oceans.

 Marine waters are very different from freshwater

because of the high salt content of seawater.

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  Saltwater life zones (marine life zones)
• Oceans and estuaries

• Coastlands and shorelines

• Coral reefs

• Mangrove forests

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2) Freshwater ecosystem :
Include two major components lentic and lotic system

 Lentic systems describe all standing water

ecosystems.

 Lotic systems describe all flowing water ecosystems.

 In both Lentic and Lotic ecosystems affected by

abiotic factors such as :
light, temperature, pH, alkalinity, pressure, depth etc.
of the water are extremely important and determine
what kind of living and non-living interactions can
exist there.
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 In all the above water types, living activities occur in
different zones: such as:- the
 Surface of the waters,
 Middle parts and
 At the bottom of the water.
The scientific names for life forms in the water are

Plankton, Nekton, and Benthos.

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 Then, there are also interactions on the surface of, and
along these waters.

 As you can tell already, there are complex food webs that
exist in aquatic ecosystems.

Now, shall we take a closer look at these three terms:

 Plankton,

 Nekton,

 and Benthos
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Plankton
 Plankton can be found in marine waters, although they can also be
found in many freshwater bodies too.

 This group of living organisms is described as the tiny and

microscopic plants and animals in the water.

 Plankton can exist in the sunlit zone and in deep ocean waters.
 Plankton can be classified into two groups:
Plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton).

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Nekton
Nekton (fish, squid, whales and other free swimmers)
 are all organisms that swim actively in open water,
independent of currents.
 Organisms capable of swimming against a current
• Fishes
• Marine mammals
• Marine reptiles
• Cephalopods
• Some crustaceans
• Sea birds

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Importance of Nekton
 Large nekton can profoundly influence marine communities
 Important in current or historical harvests
 Fishes of critical importance to world food supply

Benthos- are bottom-dwelling organisms of the sea or ocean

and are often attached to hard surfaces.
 are the community of organisms that live on, in or near the
seabed.

 This community lives in or near sedimentary environments,

from tidal pools along the foreshore, out to the continental
shelf and then down to the abyssal depths.

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 Although most of the benthos are very small in size, but they play
important role in aquatic ecosystem as they act as bio-indicators,

 are important as nutrient in different trophic levels of food chain

& food-web
 And have role in nutrient & mineral cycling as they act as
decomposers.
 So that they represent all the trophic levels as producer, consumer
as well as decomposers

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ADVANTAGES OF BENTHOS
Benthos are good indicators of localized conditions of water quality
due to their limited mobility.
 They are sensitive to environmental impacts from both point and
non-point source of pollution.
 They integrate the effects of short term environmental variations.
 They serve as the primary food source for many species of
commercially and recreationally important fishes.

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 When monitored together with relevant
chemical/physical parameters, benthos communities can
be used to identify sources of impairment.
 They are holistic indicators of overall water quality.

Decomposers
Mostly bacteria

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Aquatic ecosystems Phytoplankton:
 These microscopic plants produce food for other living
things in the water.

 They are primary producers.

 They derive energy from sunlight to produce their own

food by photosynthesis.

 Examples include green algae and diatoms.

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Aquatic ecosystems Zooplankton:
 These are microscopic animals that live in the water.

 They are primary consumers and feed on phytoplankton

and dissolved nutrients in the water.

 Herbivorous zooplankton feed on phytoplankton.

 Carniverous zooplanktom also feed on herbivorous

zooplankton.

 Examples of zooplankton include some larvae of fish

and crustaceans (includes crabs and shrimps).
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Aquatic Biotechnology
 The application of biotechnology in aquaculture can
greatly enhance the productivity of open water bodies.

 It has the potential to help aquaculture enhance

cultured organisms:-
 Growth rate,
 Reproductive potential,
 Better feed conversion
 Disease resistance and
 Ability to resist adverse environmental conditions
such as warm and cold water

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  Market availability
 Body shape
 Colour
 The conservation of natural resource etc. all the above things
facilitated by the appropriate genetic technology.

Genetic improvement design can be used in

 Short term genetics improvement and

 Long term genetics improvement strategies

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Short Term Genetic Improvement Strategies
 Short term genetic improvement techniques may not require the
same level of record keeping or management as long term
 projects and can impart significant gains with simple technologies
in a short period of time .

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Long Term Genetic Improvement Strategies
 Domestication and the full potential for the utilization in aquatic
genetics resources will be realized through long term breeding
programme.

 The aquaculture sector lags far behind the crop and live stock sector
with regard to the development of the domesticated and genetically
improved strains.

 Through the gene transfer technique or transgenesis is the latest

biotechnological tool being worked upon.

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 Successful gene transfers have been made in over 15 fish species.

 Transgenic salmon fish namely Aqua Advantage.

1. Cut with Donor DNA

Plasmid restriction
enzymes
Donor DNA

Sticky
Ends

Recombinant DNA
2. Ligase
bonds sticky
ends together
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Biotechnology contributes to current or potential uses of
marine products in the areas of:

 Aquaculture
 Conservation of marine ecosystems
 Therapeutics/medicines
 Aquatic animal health and sea food safety
 Biomedical research
 Algae cultivation

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 Aquatic biotechnology involves the application of
science and engineering for the direct or indirect use of
aquatic organisms.

 Or parts or products of living aquatic organisms in their

natural or modified forms.
 It is fundamental to all biological and biotech research.

 Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms.

 Including finfish, shellfish, molluscs, algae, marine

bacteria, crustaceans and aquatic plants.

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 Global fish production from aquaculture has risen
rapidly during the past four decades, contributing
significant quantities to the world’s supply of fish for
human consumption.

 Aquaculture currently accounts for nearly half 44.3 % of

the world’s food fish (FAO, 2009).

 As the second largest country in aquaculture production,

the share of inland fisheries and aquaculture in total fish
production.

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 In India has mounted from 46 percent in the 1980s to
over 85% in recent years.

 Freshwater aquaculture showed an overwhelming growth

from 0.37million tones in 1980 to 4.03 million tones in
2010, with a mean annual growth rate of over 6%.

 Freshwater aquaculture contributes to over 95 percent of

the total aquaculture production.

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 In India, fishery is a very important economic activity
and a flourishing sector with varied resources and
immense potentials.

 Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also

known as aqua farming, is the farming of fish,
crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic plants, algae, and other
organisms.

 Particular methods include aquaponics and integrated

multi-trophic aquaculture, both of which integrate fish
farming and aquatic plant farming.

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Types of Aquaculture
 Marine culture: is aquaculture that involves the use of
sea water

 Fish farming: Fish farming is the most common type of

aquaculture.

 Alga culture: is a type of aquaculture involving the

cultivation of algae and integrated multitrophic
aquaculture.

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Types of aquaculture systems
 Water-based systems (cages and pens, inshore/offshore).
 Land-based systems (rainfed ponds, irrigated or flow-
through systems, tanks and raceways).
 Recycling systems (high control enclosed systems, more
open pond based recirculation).

The Main Benefits of Aquaculture

The opening of commercially viable business
opportunities;
 The creation of employment, especially in rural areas;
increased national exports; and.
 The substitution of imports by local production

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Characteristics of aquaculture projects.
 Aquaculture entails controlled farming or cultivation of organisms
in salt, brackish or fresh water for the purpose of food production.

 Aquaculture produce is also put to good use in other connections,

e.g. pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries.

 Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms in both coastal

and inland areas involving interventions in the rearing process to
enhance production.

 It is probably the fastest growing food-producing sector and now

accounts for 50 percent of the world's fish that is used for food.
Dec 13, 2019

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 The supply of fish types for a pond is enormous.
 Ranging from goldfish, gold orfes, sturgeon to
koi carps and more. However, what types of fish
do you choose for your pond?
 Suitable pond fish
(a) Algae eater,
(b) Fathead minnow,
(c) Goldfish,
(d) Golden tench,
(e) Koi carps,
(f)Rosette,
(g)Shubunkin,
(h) Sturgeon etc.
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 (b)
(a)

(g)
(c)

(e) (d)
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