Exploration, conservation, & development of marine biodiversity in Fiji

我们的总体目标是：(1)协调对作为药物资源的南太平洋生物的调查 用于治疗太平洋岛屿和美国的重要疾病以及新的生物能源应用 (2)支持生物勘探所依赖的生物多样性的可持续利用；和(3)了解 这些进程使珊瑚礁生态系统退化，并启动适合当地的保护措施，以 提高珊瑚礁对当地和全球压力的适应能力，(4)利用国立卫生研究院、南太平洋大学(USP)、 和其他资源，以发展南太平洋生物多样性保护和药物研发中心 (SPCBCDD)成为一个自给自足的机构，为运营USP的12个国家(库克群岛、斐济、 基里巴斯、马绍尔群岛、瑙鲁、纽埃、萨摩亚、所罗门群岛、托克劳、汤加、图瓦卢和瓦努阿图)和(5) 发展珊瑚礁活岩石的“绿色”养殖，作为一种环境适宜和经济可行的方法 取而代之的是目前在斐济珊瑚礁进行活体岩石开采的破坏性做法。药物发现将成为重点 关于(1)在系统发育上不同的和富含化学物质的海洋放线菌，它们制造的代谢物在 生物医学筛选，并拥有对可持续能源开发有价值的新代谢途径，以及 (2)富含化学物质的珊瑚礁大型生物，它们通常会上调防御化学，以应对 来自天敌、模拟攻击或其他压力的攻击。从这些生物中提取的物质将是 对相关模型进行生物测试，包括：抗药性细菌、真菌、结核病、疟疾、心理障碍、 和癌症。此外，我们将评估热带珊瑚礁生物多样性的模式，并进行实地实验，以 确定导致海藻的常见压力(如过度捕捞、营养)的相对影响 珊瑚的更替和导致世界珊瑚礁生物多样性的急剧丧失- 很宽。为此，我们将确定涉及的过程和机制，阐明那些关键的 控制最具攻击性的海藻的食草动物，并与村领导合作开发有效的 基于这一科学投入的资源管理战略。我们还将继续开发基于Web的 我们为保护斐济珊瑚礁和红树林系统而创建的基金会。 相关性(请参阅说明)： 本项目重点研究海洋微生物和斐济珊瑚礁生物作为生物活性的生产者 次生代谢物可开发为药物，用于治疗两国人民的疾病 美国和发展中国家，特别是南太平洋地区。其他目标是保护生物 基于可持续发展的珊瑚礁资源与斐济沿海村落经济发展 练习。

Our overall goals are to : (1) coordinate investigations of South Pacific organisms as pharmaceutical resources for treating diseases of importance in the Pacific Islands and United States and for novel bioenergy applications (2) support sustainable uses of the biodiversity upon which such bioprospecting depends, and (3) understand the processes degrading coral reef ecosystems and initiate locally-appropriate conservation measures to enhance reef resiliance to both local and global pressures, (4) leverage NIH, University of the South Pacific (USP), and other resources to develop the South Pacific Center for Biodiversity Conservation and Drug Discovery (SPCBCDD) into a self-sustaining institution serving the 12 countries that operate USP (Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu), and (5) develop "green" culturing of coral reef live rock as an environmentally appropriate and economically viable substiture for the present destructive practices of live rock mining from Fijian reefs. Drug discovery will focus on (1) phylogenetically distinct and chemically rich marine actinomycetes making metabolites that are active in biomedical screens and that hosts novel metabolic pathways valuable for sustainable energy development, and (2) on chemically-rich coral reef macroorganisms that commonly upregulate defensive chemistry in response to attack from natural enemies, simulated attack, or other stresses. Extracts from these organisms will be bioassayed against relevant models including: drug resistant bacteria, fungi, TB, Malaria, psychological disorders, and cancer. Additionally, we will evaluate patterns in tropical reef biodiversity and conduct field experiments to determine the relative impacts of common stresses (e.g., overfishing, nutrification) causing seaweed replacement of corals and precipitating the dramatic loss of biodiversity that is occurring on coral reefs world- wide. Toward this end we will identify the processes and mechanisms involved, elucidate those critical herbivores that control the most aggressive seaweeds, and work with village leaders to develop effective resource management strategies based on this scientific input. We will also continue developing a web based foundation we have created for funding conservation of Fijian coral reef and mangrove systems. RELEVANCE (See instructions): This project focuses on marine microbes and Fijian coral reef organisms as producers of biologically active secondary metabolites that can be developed as pharmaceuticals to address diseases of peoples of both the U.S. and developing countries, especially in the South Pacific. Additional goals are the conservation of biotic resources on coral reefs and economic development of coastal Fijian villages based on sustainable practices.