Marine organisms rely on a broad range of structurally and mechanically diverse materials for success in the world’s oceans. Among many others, examples include structural materials involved in protection and locomotion (shells, exoskeletons, tests, etc.), predatory and feeding structures (claws, harpoons, radulae, etc.), and functional materials (adhesives, holdfasts, defensive secretions, signaling structures, etc.). In all cases, these materials are hierarchical and their success depends on multiple levels of biological complexity, from the molecular to the nano- and micro-scales, to the whole organism scale. Historically, these materials have often served as inspiration for biomimetic materials and approaches (e.g., nacre-inspired composites, exosuits, green fluorescent protein, hydrogels), and understanding the complexities of such materials may allow us to address major economic and ecological challenges (e.g., biofouling by marine adhesive organisms). Within the Anthropocene, a critical aspect of the study of marine biological materials is the assessment of how the environment affects functional properties and the mechanistic basis for such changes if they occur. Increases in global sea temperatures, reductions in pH (ocean acidification) and associated alterations in carbonate chemistry, and variations in salinity and dissolved oxygen content, have all been documented to affect structural and functional materials, with the magnitude of the response often taxon-specific.
Within this research topic, we aim to bring together a collection of studies that assess either the fundamental mechanisms of function of marine biological materials, or those that investigate the effect of environment on marine biological materials. Examples from any marine taxa are encouraged. We are particularly interested in, but not limited to, studies that:
1. Integrate assessments of the structure, composition, and mechanics of marine biological materials at multiple levels of complexity (i.e., molecular, nano, micro, meso, macro)
2. Provide insight on the mechanistic basis for function at the whole-organism scale
3. Assess material properties after exposure to one or more environmental stressors within controlled laboratory experiments
4. Field-based studies that assess variations in material properties among natural populations inhabiting regions that differ in environmental conditions
5. Contrast mechanisms of function or effect of environment on material properties among multiple marine taxa
Marine organisms rely on a broad range of structurally and mechanically diverse materials for success in the world’s oceans. Among many others, examples include structural materials involved in protection and locomotion (shells, exoskeletons, tests, etc.), predatory and feeding structures (claws, harpoons, radulae, etc.), and functional materials (adhesives, holdfasts, defensive secretions, signaling structures, etc.). In all cases, these materials are hierarchical and their success depends on multiple levels of biological complexity, from the molecular to the nano- and micro-scales, to the whole organism scale. Historically, these materials have often served as inspiration for biomimetic materials and approaches (e.g., nacre-inspired composites, exosuits, green fluorescent protein, hydrogels), and understanding the complexities of such materials may allow us to address major economic and ecological challenges (e.g., biofouling by marine adhesive organisms). Within the Anthropocene, a critical aspect of the study of marine biological materials is the assessment of how the environment affects functional properties and the mechanistic basis for such changes if they occur. Increases in global sea temperatures, reductions in pH (ocean acidification) and associated alterations in carbonate chemistry, and variations in salinity and dissolved oxygen content, have all been documented to affect structural and functional materials, with the magnitude of the response often taxon-specific.
Within this research topic, we aim to bring together a collection of studies that assess either the fundamental mechanisms of function of marine biological materials, or those that investigate the effect of environment on marine biological materials. Examples from any marine taxa are encouraged. We are particularly interested in, but not limited to, studies that:
1. Integrate assessments of the structure, composition, and mechanics of marine biological materials at multiple levels of complexity (i.e., molecular, nano, micro, meso, macro)
2. Provide insight on the mechanistic basis for function at the whole-organism scale
3. Assess material properties after exposure to one or more environmental stressors within controlled laboratory experiments
4. Field-based studies that assess variations in material properties among natural populations inhabiting regions that differ in environmental conditions
5. Contrast mechanisms of function or effect of environment on material properties among multiple marine taxa