As life began in the oceans, the past, but also the future of the human population is intrinsically
linked to marine living resources. The oceans offer a bounty of biodiversity that needs to be
protected, properly managed and exploited with responsibility. Recent studies on the biodiversity
of marine organisms have revealed that the tree of life is actually a web of life with multiple
interactions in terms of complex networks of gene transfers, endosymbiotic events and trophic
relationships. The understanding of this complexity and the evolutionary history that underlies
and explains the biology, biochemistry and ecology of marine life is key to its effective
exploitation to benefit human beings as a whole in a responsible manner. We will discuss
knowledge-based strategies that are currently being implemented in order to use the available
marine living resources as novel sources of food, feed, energy and bioactive compounds, so that
a more sustainable future can be provided to future generations.0055 ALGARED+ 5E funded under the INTERREG V-A programme for the trans-border cooperation Spain – Portugal
(POCTEP)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
