Marine Life Sciences


NWO Science Foresight 1999 - 2003


Prepared by



Marine Life Sciences Platform
Mariene Levenswetenschappen Platform



RESPONSIBILITY
In December 1997, the fourteen SLW-platforms were invited to participate in a SLW ``Kick-Off Bijeenkomst'' (SLW Ref. U97-1301) which was subsequently held on 14-2-98 at NWO. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the role of the platforms and how that role could be improved within the upcoming reorganization. At the conclusion of that meeting, the platforms were requested to prepare a short ``beleidsnotitie'' (due 1 Nov 98) to include an overview of the status of current affairs in the research area, international developments, and national research priorities. The purpose of the report is to assist the newly formed Beleidsadviescommissie-Levenswetenschappen (BAC-L) within ALW in their preparation of a multiyear plan entitled ``Science Foresight 1999- 2003'' for life sciences research in The Netherlands.

One of the unique aspects of the Marine Life Sciences Platform (MLP) is a bottom-up approach, that is, direct input from its members. As such, earlier versions of this document have been available for direct comment on the MLP web-page (http://www.bio.vu.nl/mlp) and a special discussion workshop was also held at NWO on 26 June 1998.

Final responsibility for preparation of this report lies with members of the steering committee of MLP.
1 November 1998




Marine Life Sciences Platform - MLP: Established 1995

WEB page: http://www.bio.vu.nl/mlp

Membership: Ca. 180

Mandate: To bring scientists together in order to strengthen research in marine biological processes in the broadest sense of the word. This includes: 1) oceanic, coastal, estuarine, rocky shores and coral reef research; 2) interactions among all relevant subdisciplines; and 3) collaboration between individuals and institutions at both the national and international levels. The hall mark of the platform is thus to network scientists and create a higher visibility of marine life sciences research within the larger context of Dutch science. This entails a combined ``top-down'' and ``bottom-up'' approach to communications.





INTRODUCTION

The increasing pressure of humans on the world's oceans, the effect of the oceans in modulating climate, the role of marine biodiversity in ecosystem function and the desire for sustainable preservation of marine living resources have been identified by all international scientific bodies as key areas for research in the coming decade. This recognition has brought marine sciences in toto to the forefront of society as 1998 was proclaimed the International Year of the Oceans.

Addressing questions within these global themes will ultimately require a transdisciplinary effort involving natural sciences, social sciences and law. But even within the scope of the natural sciences alone, we are still left with many questions in biology that require an integrated approach. For example, some biological questions focus on biogeochemical or biophysical processes so that distinctions between disciplines become largely one of emphasis. For purposes of this report, we focus specifically on the biology in order to provide ALW with a general overview of areas that need to be further stimulated in the coming five years.

Marine life scientists are under increasing pressure to provide answers to urgent management questions. Simultaneously, there is a gradual political shift in emphasis from pure to applied research which is a cause for general concern within the scientific community. Without strong support for basic research, answers to management questions will not be forthcoming.




ROLE OF THE NETHERLANDS IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

Dutch scientists are actively involved in EU and broader international initiatives. Within marine science and technology more generally, the reader is referred to the GOA National Report (1997) Marine Science and Technology in The Netherlands. Some examples of activities include:
  1. Research partnerships:
  2. Hosting of national and international workshops/congresses:
  3. Planning of new research initiatives:


STATUS OF CURRENT RESEARCH IN MARINE LIFE SCIENCES

Marine life sciences are being studied at Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), the Netherlands Institute for Ecological Research - Centre for Estuarine and Marine Studies (NIOO-CEMO), University of Groningen (RUG), University of Leiden (RUL), University of Amsterdam (UvA), Free University of Amsterdam (VU), Catholic University of Nijmegan (KUN), Naturalis (museum collections),and several applied governmental institutes, notably, RIKZ (coastal zone management) and RIVO (fisheries). For detailed information on current projects, publications and personnel statistics we direct readers to Annual Reports of the relevant universities, institutes, and graduate schools (Functional Ecology and Biodiversity).

Financial support for marine life sciences research is provided by three principle sources: University/Institute, NWO and the European Union. About half of the funding in recent years has come from programs within the EU Fourth Framework (1993-1998). The EU Fifth Framework (1999 - 2003) will also have two programs for marine sciences research (i.e., ``Living Resources'' which includes ``Sustainable agriculture and fisheries,'' and ``Preserving the Ecosystem'' which includes ``Sustainable marine ecosystems'' and ``Climate Change and Biodiversity''). Support from NWO has come predominantly from the former foundations GOA and SLW. The reorganization of SLW and GOA within NWO to the new ALW continues to split marine life sciences; this time among three different commissions (ALW 3 - Oceanografie/Meteorologie, ALW 4 - Ecologie, Biodiversiteit en Evolutie and ALW 5 - Micro-organismen.).

Research areas in which Dutch marine life scientists are currently engaged range across practically all fields of biology, involve benthic and pelagic zones from the tropics to the poles and involve the analysis of individual organisms to entire ecosystems. Research topics fall well within the themes identified by the Verkenningscommissie Biologie (KNAW 1997), Biologie: Het Leven Centraal, NEVECOL report (SLW 1998) Ecologie van Levensbelang: Programma voor Ecologisch Onderzoek 1998, Onderzoekschool Functional Ecology (Workplan 1997) and Onderzoekschool Biodiversiteit (Workplan 1997).

Below we provide an illustrative list of topics in which Dutch marine life scientists are currently engaged and will continue to be engaged. Many topics and subtopics may be themselves linked.

Financial support for marine life sciences research comes via the three money streams: university/institute, NWO and external/European Union. About half of the funding in recent years has come from programs within the EU Fourth Framework (1993-1998). The EU Fifth Framework (1999 - 2003) will also have programs for marine life sciences research. Support from NWO has come predominantly from the former foundations GOA and SLW. The reorganization of SLW and GOA within NWO to the new ALW continues to split marine life sciences; this time among three different commissions (ALW 3: Oceanografie/Meterologie, ALW 4: Ecologie, Biodiversiteit en Evolutie and ALW 5: Micro-organismen.). An important development in 1998 has been the NWO-PRIORITEIT Program, ``Sustainable use and conservation of marine living resources''. This program will run through 2005.




LOOKING AHEAD TO NEW RESEARCH

The trend in research over the coming five years will not per se be directed towards fundamentally new topics but towards creating ``new foci'' and new perspectives within already well-established, long-term themes. Some examples of new foci include targeting key groups of organisms for systematic studies, or changing the emphasis in biogeochemical studies towards interactions and the role of the biotic components. Our eventual success rests in part on advances in technology but more importantly on a broader awareness of the need to address questions within the suprathemes of climate change, biodiversity, ecosystem function and sustainability that can only be done by a willingness to examine ``old'' problems in ``new'' ways.

Below we present five general research priorities including examples of types of studies that could be undertaken at the project or programma levels within ALW. We then offer a suggestion as to how ALW could help to facilitate stimulation of the particular area.

PRIORITIES (no order)

1. The role of biological feedbacks on cycling of elements needs a more integrated approach

For the most part, elemental cycles have been studied in isolation or in their relation to the carbon cycle. This is because carbon fluxes are a driving force in climate regulation. Although ecophysiological and biogeochemical studies have resulted in a variety of models that have improved our understanding of the functioning of marine systems, interactions between biotic and abiotic factors that drive the elemental cycles are still not well understood. For example, the effects of light and nutrient availability on phytoplankton growth parameters are not simply additive, nor are their impact on the biochemical composition of cells. In turn, the biochemical composition of cells and their physiological performance also have an impact on the community structure, species interactions, reminieralisation and thus-- ultimately the fate of elements. Studies of elemental cycles therefore need an integrative approach in which several elements and biotic/abiotic factors are investigated simultaneously. This applies to both pelagic and benthic systems, oceanic and coastal.

For stimulation:

Suggestion. Proposals that focus on integrative aspects would have preference. These could include projects that focus on the biological side of the interaction, as well as those that examine the interplay between macro- and micro-nutrients (i.e., coupled cycles) with the biotic components.

2. Marine biodiversity needs to be explored more fully at both descriptive and experimental levels

All life in the ocean is of major concern for interdisciplinary oceanic research. At the descriptive level, the diversity of life itself is generally so poorly known in the sea (as compared with terrestrial systems) that even basic estimates of fluctuations in biodiversity are often not possible because we have no idea about how much there is in the first place (whether we measure at the genetic, organismal or system levels). What is being learned from modern taxonomic, phylogenetic and evolutionary studies that utilize some type of DNA-data, is that levels of genetic diversity and its compartmentalization (both spatially and temporally) are far more complex in the ocean than previously supposed. Notions of single, ``global'', marine species are rapidly falling away and new ecosystems are being discovered on a regular basis.

At the mechanistic/experimental level, the structural and functional variation of biodiversity must also have a central place in marine life sciences research because of its interrelationship with ecosystem responses and biogeochemical cycles. How fluctuations in biodiversity modulate ecosystem function is of fundamental scientific interest but also has far reaching practical applications for resource management and ecosystem protection.

For stimulation:

Suggestion 1. Proposals that investigate the dynamics sensu lato of biodiversity in relation to ecosystem function would have preference, especially those targeting prokaryotes, protists and invasive species. Although the NWO-PRIORITEIT Programme ``Sustainable Use and Conservation of Marine Living Resources'' is sometimes seen as the programme covering marine biodiversity issues, that programme, as the name implies, is focused on use and conservation issues in the context of biology, law and society. It cannot cover the scope of topics listed above.

Suggestion 2. ALW could establish a small commission specifically for taxonomy and molecular systematics which would accept both terrestrial and marine proposals. Given the international recognition of the University of Amsterdam's ETI unit (Expert Taxonomic Identification Systems), the unique marine collections in both Amsterdam and Leiden and the emerging efforts to link European systematists, The Netherlands could play a major role in the Global Taxonomy Initiative as part of the Biodiversity Convention.

3. Ecological paradigms need to be specifically tested in the marine domain

The assumption that some ecological principles are equally applicable to terrestrial and marine organisms is not necessarily the case and has often hindered progress in research, in part, because these principles have not been questioned. Examples of this have been discovered in such disparate areas as marine foodweb structure and dynamics, supposed latitudinal gradients of biodiversity and their causes, comparative spatio-temporal scaling in nutrient cycles or population compartmentalization, and the application of life-history theory to demography.

Suggestion. Projects that specifically test basic ecological paradigms (which are almost exclusively based on terrestrial studies) in marine systems would be given added consideration. In practical terms, that would mean that some proposed projects would not seem particularly ``innovative'' within the larger set of life sciences proposals when, in fact, they are. Reviewers and commission members would need to be alerted to this.

4. Fundamental research-- an absolute priority

Fundamental research is the lifeline to applied research and management advice. It is also the life's blood of universities and academic institutes. For the more applied institutes such as Rijksinstituut voor Visserijonderzoek (RIVO) and Rijksinstituut voor Kust en Zee (RIKZ), sound coastal zone management, living resources policy and the protection/conservation of marine organisms are absolutely dependent on knowledge from basic research. There is a real concern among working scientists that support for basic research in The Netherlands will continue to decrease in favor of more applied research (Nature 30 July 1998). This concern also stems from the fact that the new EU Framework-V program, a major source of funding for marine life sciences research, has placed preference on applied research and technology.

Complex problems seldom have simple answers. While no one disputes the importance of pursuing scientific research with ``societal relevance'', it is not always possible to see a priori what types of basic research will ultimately shed the most light on the larger applied problem. Emphasis on applied research at the expense of basic research simply doesn't work on the long term.

NWO is the primary source of funding for fundamental research in The Netherlands. Linking scientific concepts (pure science) with practical implementation (applied science) needs to be promoted and this can be insured by continuing to provide greater support for fundamental research and not the other way around.

5. Technology necessarily plays a disproportionately large role in marine life sciences research

Biological research at sea or in the laboratory remains challenging. Collection and measurement at sea requires ships and specialized collecting equipment. In the laboratory, many key organisms are microscopic, difficult to cultivate and/or present a myriad of peculiarities that create problems with respect to examination and analysis. As a result, the technologies and infrastructure necessary are often considerable, highly specialized or have to be invented. The most important ones are highlighted below.

Remote sensing has received a major stimulus from marine biologists. This allows tracking and validation of patterns, modeling, and access to real-time data at regional and global scales. This type of large-scale analysis is exciting because it is also accessible to the individual investigator and this opens new opportunities for combining data in ways not previously considered.

Molecular biology has proven indispensable for marine life scientists. Identification, tracking of organisms, investigation of population structure, taxonomy, and biogeography have all benefited from DNA methodologies. Coupled with flow cytometry, pelagic picoplankton can be very powerfully analyzed. In addition, physiological processes can be studied from the gene-regulation point of view. This is a new and largely unexplored approach in marine organisms.

Mesocosms permit near-natural, field conditions to be created while permitting controlled manipulations and measurements to be made with near-laboratory accuracy.

Flume-tanks permit experimental manipulations of water motion in relation to organisms and suspended particles. Stabilization/destablization, erosion and deposition can be studied under well-defined conditions.

Ships are as indispensable to ocean going marine biologists as telescopes are to astronomers. About half of the marine life scientists in MLP regularly conduct open ocean or coastal ocean sampling and/or experiments. With the new international emphasis on marine biodiversity (both descriptive and experimental) and on climate change and biogeochemistry there is an ever growing pressure on research vessels. Shiptime is limited and highly competitive. Cruises must prioritize and piggy-back experiments. Compromises are many and, quite often, biological experiments have been ranked low in the pecking order or sandwiched in during other experiments.



Suggestion. Research that utilizes and/or co-develops applications of advanced technologies sensu lato in order to specifically address marine biological questions should be given stimulus as these approaches are likely to give added value to the results.

Suggestion. Biological experiments conducted from research ships need to be given higher status in which enough time for an adequate sampling schedule is guaranteed. This will insure the right time-space scales along with proper integration of physical data.

CONCLUSION

Marine life sciences research in The Netherlands is basically healthy being well-embedded in the national and international research communities. Even so, the breadth of research questions, their interdisciplinary nature and the dispersal of marine life scientists across the country makes it an ongoing challenge to maintain a collective voice. As a platform for discussion and beleidsvorming, MLP's mission is to promote communication and thus strengthen research in marine biological sciences. It's working.