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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine algae and seagrasses are found in estuarine to marine environments, inhabiting the water column and hard and soft bottoms between tidal ranges and deep waters on the continental shelf. They not only provide much of the Earth's oxygen but are also the base for the food chain in the oceans. They are also major contributors to global biodiversity, and some of them are ‘ecosystem engineers’, as they change the environment and the diversity of marine life. They play an important role in the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems. Nevertheless, some algal species have become notorious for forming harmful blooms, probably due to a combination of natural and human-driven forces, including climate change.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions regarding several topics about photosynthetic, oxygen-producing marine organisms. In particular, it aims to gather original peer-reviewed articles and reviews that reflect updated knowledge on the ecology and taxonomy of both benthic and planktonic marine microalgae and macrophytes.

Prof. Dr. Stefano Accoroni
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2472 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Calcification in Three Common Calcified Algae from Phuket, Thailand: Potential Relevance on Seawater Carbonate Chemistry and Link to Photosynthetic Process

by Pimchanok Buapet and Sutinee Sinutok

Plants 2021, 10(11), 2537; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112537 - 21 Nov 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2918

Abstract

Calcifying macroalgae contribute significantly to the structure and function of tropical marine ecosystems. Their calcification and photosynthetic processes are not well understood despite their critical role in marine carbon cycles and high vulnerability to environmental changes. This study aims to provide a better understanding of the macroalgal calcification process, focusing on its relevance concerning seawater carbonate chemistry and its relationship to photosynthesis in three dominant calcified macroalgae in Thailand, Padina boryana, Halimeda macroloba and Halimeda opuntia. Morphological and microstructural attributes of the three macroalgae were analyzed and subsequently linked to their calcification rates and responses to inhibition of photosynthesis. In the first experiment, seawater pH, total alkalinity and total dissolved inorganic carbon were measured after incubation of the macroalgae in the light and after equilibration of the seawater with air. Estimations of carbon uptake into photosynthesis and calcification and carbon release into air were obtained thereafter. Our results provide evidence that calcification of the three calcified macroalgae is a potential source of CO₂, where calcification by H. opuntia and H. macroloba leads to a greater release of CO₂ per biomass weight than P. boryana. Nevertheless, this capacity is expected to vary on a diurnal basis, as the second experiment indicates that calcification is highly coupled to photosynthetic activity. Lower pH as a result of inhibited photosynthesis under darkness imposes more negative effects on H. opuntia and H. macroloba than on P. boryana, implying that they are more sensitive to acidification. These effects were worsened when photosynthesis was inhibited by 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea, highlighting the significance of photosynthetic electron transport-dependent processes. Our findings suggest that estimations of the amount of carbon stored in the vegetated marine ecosystems should account for macroalgal calcification as a potential carbon source while considering diurnal variations in photosynthesis and seawater pH in a natural setting. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systematics and Ecology of Algae and Marine Plants Ⅱ)

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Graphical abstract

20 pages, 4166 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seasonal Variability of Photosynthetic Microbial Eukaryotes (<3 µm) in the Kara Sea Revealed by 18S rDNA Metabarcoding of Sediment Trap Fluxes

by Tatiana A. Belevich, Irina A. Milyutina and Aleksey V. Troitsky

Plants 2021, 10(11), 2394; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112394 - 6 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2290

Abstract

This survey is the first to explore the seasonal cycle of microbial eukaryote diversity (<3 µm) using the NGS method and a 10-month sediment trap (2018–2019). The long-term trap was deployed from September to June in the northwestern part of the Kara Sea. A water sample collected before the sediment trap was deployed and also analyzed. The taxonomic composition of microbial eukaryotes in the water sample significantly differed from sediment trap samples, characterized by a high abundance of Ciliophora reads and low abundance of Fungi while trap samples contained an order of magnitude less Ciliophora sequences and high contribution of Fungi. Photosynthetic eukaryotes (PEs) accounting for about 34% of total protists reads were assigned to five major divisions: Chlorophyta, Cryptophyta, Dinoflagellata, Haptophyta, and Ochrophyta. The domination of phototrophic algae was revealed in late autumn. Mamiellophyceae and Trebouxiophyceae were the predominant PEs in mostly all of the studied seasons. Micromonas polaris was constantly present throughout the September–June period in the PE community. The obtained results determine the seasonal dynamics of picoplankton in order to improve our understanding of their role in polar ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systematics and Ecology of Algae and Marine Plants Ⅱ)

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