Citation:

Principe, P. AND W. Fisher. Spatial Distribution of Collections Yielding Marine Natural Products. Journal of Natural Products. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, , 2307-2320, (2018). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.8b00288

Impact/Purpose:

Coral reef ecosystems are widely seen to provide numerous valuable ecosystem goods and services (EGS). Until recently, those EGS had not been sufficiently cataloged and quantified to be included in policy and decision-making assessments.1 To remedy this gap, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prepared a series of reports that described and quantified these benefits to the extent possible.2 In preparing these reports, we observed that the pharmacological potential of marine natural products (MNPs) was rarely (if ever) included in policy or decision support documents, probably because assessors are generally unaware of the potential and no metric or predictive model exists for estimating that potential. Importantly, such a metric or model might be based on the condition or state of the ecosystem being assessed. To determine whether a plausible basis existed for creating such a pharmacological potential metric or model, we had to establish where and when the specimens were collected that yielded MNPs with pharmacological potential.

Description:

The societal benefits of coral reef ecosystems include shoreline protection, habitat provision for reef fish, tourism, and recreation. Rarely considered in valuation of reefs is the considerable contribution of marine natural products (MNPs) to both human health and the economy. To better understand the relation of MNP discovery with the characteristics and condition of coral reef ecosystems, we initiated a study to track the collection location and taxonomic identity of organisms that have provided pharmacological products. We reviewed collection information and associated data from 298 pharmacological products originating from marine biota during the past 47 years. The products were developed from 232 different marine species representing 15 phyla, and the 1296 collections of these specimens occurred across 69 countries and seven continents. Our evaluation of the collection data was hampered by sundry observational and reporting issues, including imprecise location descriptions and omission of collection dates. Nonetheless, the study provides an important synopsis and appraisal of years of study and exploration by the marine natural product community. Understanding and quantifying the benefits of MNP discovery will depend upon improved reporting of collections, including accurate taxonomic identification, collection dates, and locations.

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