Area 1 Deep-sea Biodiversity and Life Processes

Centering around deep-sea cold seep ecosystems, hydrothermal vent ecosystems, and deep-sea biosphere, we carry out research on the diversity and geographical distribution of micro-organisms to identify the varieties, community composition, and distribution features of micro-organisms in different deep-sea environments. We also carry out research to study deep-sea micro-organisms’ collaborative evolution and their adaptability to different environments, revealing their adaptability mechanism and co-evolution process. In addition, we study the dark energy metabolism of deep-sea biosphere and the life processes in deep-sea regions, as well as the evolutionary and symbiotic mechanism of deep-sea biosystems, so as to understand the life processes and the biogeochemical and energy cycle of chemoautotrophic deep-sea ecosystems.

Area 2 Deep-sea Biological Resources and Their Potential Assessment

We develop high-throughput, in-situ, and environmental simulation technologies to cultivate deep-sea micro-organisms and acquire new resources of deep-sea extremophiles with high efficiency. We carry out research on genomes, applying advanced gene sequencing and analytic techniques in bioinformatics for high-throughput acquisition of deep-sea organisms’ genomic and macro-genomic information. We also evaluate the application potential of deep-sea active materials, extremozymes, and functional bacteria to identify deep-sea biological resources with significant application prospects. In addition, we build bacteria pools (including marine virus pool), small metabolite pools, gene pools, as well as corresponding information management systems for deep-sea micro-organisms, forming a sharing system of deep-sea biological resources.

Area 3 Development and Utilization of Marine Biological Resources

Focusing on the development of deep-sea biological products, we carry out research on key technologies for the development and utilization of deep-sea active materials, extremozymes, polysaccharides, and special functional bacteria, developing relevant products. Aiming at the efficient and sustainable development and utilization of marine biological resources, we develop comprehensive healthcare products, biomaterial products, agricultural and aquaculture products, studying key technologies for pilot production, as well as relevant forefront biotechnologies. For major diseases on marine animals such as fish and shrimp, we carry out research on the pathogenic mechanism and the immunologic molecular mechanism to develop green and healthy aquaculture technologies.