Isolation of Marine Natural Products

The world’s oceans cover more than 70% of the earth’s surface and contain over 200,000 invertebrate and algal species (1 ). These organisms live in complex communities and in close association with other organisms both macro- (e.g., algae, sponges, ascidians) and micro- (e.g., nonfilamentous bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes). Some organisms derive their chemistry from dietary sources, while others synthesize the compounds de novo . Some compounds may be produced by associated microorganisms, while others may require an association between the host and microorganism to produce the compounds. The chemistry of any particular specimen can be affected by the habitat as well as by geographic and seasonal factors (2 ). In fact, the true biogenetic origin of most marine natural products remains a topic for debate within the marine natural products community.