Introduction

The natural environment has long been a source of inspiration for new drugs and other products of biotechnology. Until relatively recently, the terrestrial environment, in particular, has been the primary source of genetic material and natural products at the centre of major new developments in biotechnology, including new drugs. Examples of natural products used in drug development include the anti-malarial drug quinine isolated from the bark of the Chinchona, the analgesics codeine and morphine from Papaver somnifetum latex, and antibiotics such as penicillins and tertracyclines from strains of Penicillium sp. and Streptomyces sp. The terrestrial environment contains far more known species of plants and animals than are at present known in the oceans (Hendricks et al., 2006; Mora et al. 2011), and has contributed greatly to the development of new biotechnologies, and new drugs in particular (Molinski et al., 2009; Arrieta et al., 2010; Leal et al., 2012). Yet there are many reasons to expect that the marine environment should represent a rich reservoir of novel genetic material and natural products, particularly those derived from animals and their microbiomes. Covering more than 70 per cent of the planet, and constituting 95 per cent of the volume of the biosphere, the oceans are home to a greater diversity of major animal groups (phyla) than the terrestrial environment (34 of 36 known phyla are found in the oceans versus 17 found on land). Most marine organisms have a large dispersal potential, either through the movement of adults, or through the dispersal of larvae by ocean circulation, potentially crossing hundreds to thousands of kilometres during their development. It is thus likely for many species that the same genomic background could be sampled both within several exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ).

The study and utilization of marine genetic resources is a fairly recent human activity and, compared to the terrestrial environment, examples are relatively few and scattered throughout the world ocean. This chapter will therefore provide a general review of marine genetic resources (MGRs) rather than providing a regionally comprehensive and inclusive assessment. We will use a fairly broad definition of marine genetic resources that includes nucleic acid sequences, chemical compounds produced by marine organisms and unrefined materials extracted from marine biomass. Within areas under national jurisdiction, where marine organisms are most abundant and most accessible to researchers, MGRs and marine biodiversity are best known.