Didymo and Its Polysaccharide Stalks: Beneficial to the Environment or Not?
1
Centre for Climate Change Research, Toronto, ON M4P 1J4, Canada
2
A.R. Environmental Solutions, ICUBE-University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
3
Institute of Electronic and Sensor Materials, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, 09599 Freiberg, Germany
4
Center for Advanced Technology, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61614 Poznan, Poland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Polysaccharides 2021, 2(1), 69-79; https://doi.org/10.3390/polysaccharides2010005
Received: 19 December 2020
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Revised: 30 January 2021
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Accepted: 3 February 2021
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Published: 17 February 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chitin and Collagen: Isolation, Purification, Characterization, and Applications)
Didymosphenia geminata diatoms, or Didymo, was first found to be an invasive species that could have negative impacts on the environment due to the aggressive growth of its polysaccharide-based stalks. The stalks’ adhesive properties have prompted park officials to alert the general public to limit further spread and contamination of this algae to other bodies of water. Although the negative effects of Didymo have been studied in the past, recent studies have demonstrated a potential positive side to this alga. One of the potential benefits includes the structural component of the polysaccharide stalks. The origin of the polysaccharides within stalks remains unknown; however, they can be useful in a waste management and agricultural setting. The primary purpose of this study was to describe both the harmful and beneficial nature of Didymo. Important outcomes include findings related to its application in various fields such as medicine and technology. These polysaccharides can be isolated and studied closely to produce efficient solar power cells and batteries. Though they may be harmful while uncontained in nature, they appear to be very useful in the technological and medical advancement of our society.
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Keywords:
polysaccharides; biomineralization; chitin; algae; diatom; didymo; biosilica; biopolymers; environment
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MDPI and ACS Style
Ejaz, H.; Somanader, E.; Dave, U.; Ehrlich, H.; Rahman, M.A. Didymo and Its Polysaccharide Stalks: Beneficial to the Environment or Not? Polysaccharides 2021, 2, 69-79. https://doi.org/10.3390/polysaccharides2010005
AMA Style
Ejaz H, Somanader E, Dave U, Ehrlich H, Rahman MA. Didymo and Its Polysaccharide Stalks: Beneficial to the Environment or Not? Polysaccharides. 2021; 2(1):69-79. https://doi.org/10.3390/polysaccharides2010005
Chicago/Turabian StyleEjaz, Hurmat, Esther Somanader, Uday Dave, Hermann Ehrlich, and M. A. Rahman. 2021. "Didymo and Its Polysaccharide Stalks: Beneficial to the Environment or Not?" Polysaccharides 2, no. 1: 69-79. https://doi.org/10.3390/polysaccharides2010005
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