Biology, Ecology and Management of Harmful Algae

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 2956

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Rice Rivers Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23030, USA
Interests: aquatic ecology; photophysiological ecology; harmful algal blooms; algal toxins; cyanobacteria

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
Interests: cyanobacteria; water quality; cyanotoxins; algal blooms; harmful algae; water resources

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Harmful algae can be found in both saltwater and freshwater environments. Harmful algae outbreaks can form harmful algal blooms (HABs); some types of harmful algae can cause irritation and allergic reactions on direct contact, while others may also produce toxins. These harmful algae outbreaks are a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems, human and animal health, the economy, drinking water supplies, and fisheries.

This Special Issue will provide readers access to state of the art research on the biology and/or ecology of harmful algae and monitoring, as well as on the management and control of harmful algal blooms. Techniques such as chemical control and physical methods such as ultrasound will be presented largely as case studies.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Paul V. Zimba
Prof. Dr. Jabulani R. Gumbo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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.

Keywords

  • harmful algae
  • toxic algae
  • harmful algal bloom (HAB)
  • excessive algae growth
  • microalgae and macroalgae
  • cyanobacteria
  • dinoflagellates
  • toxins
  • water quality
  • phytoplankton
  • water resources

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 2590 KiB  
Article
Pilot-Scale Fermentation of Pseudoalteromonas sp. Strain FDHY-MZ2: An Effective Strategy for Increasing Algicidal Activity
by Yuying Zhong, Wenhuang Zheng, Xinguo Shi, Yisong Guo, Qianqian Wang, Pin Lv and Jianfeng Chen
Biology 2023, 12(11), 1447; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12111447 - 17 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1825
Abstract
The role of microorganisms in effectively terminating harmful algal blooms (HABs) is crucial for maintaining environmental stability. Recent studies have placed increased emphasis on bio-agents capable of inhibiting HABs. The bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. strain FDHY-MZ2 has exhibited impressive algicidal abilities against Karenia mikimotoi [...] Read more.
The role of microorganisms in effectively terminating harmful algal blooms (HABs) is crucial for maintaining environmental stability. Recent studies have placed increased emphasis on bio-agents capable of inhibiting HABs. The bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. strain FDHY-MZ2 has exhibited impressive algicidal abilities against Karenia mikimotoi, a notorious global HAB-forming species. To augment this capability, cultures were progressively scaled from shake flask conditions to small-scale (5 L) and pilot-scale (50 L) fermentation. By employing a specifically tailored culture medium (2216E basal medium with 1.5% soluble starch and 0.5% peptone), under precise conditions (66 h, 20 °C, 450 rpm, 30 L/min ventilation, 3% seeding, and constant starch flow), a notable increase in algicidal bacterial biomass was observed; the bacterial dosage required to entirely wipe out K. mikimotoi within a day decreased from 1% to 0.025%. Compared to an unoptimized shake flask group, the optimized fermentation culture caused significant reductions in algal chlorophyll and protein levels (21.85% and 78.3%, respectively). Co-culturing induced increases in algal malondialdehyde and H2O2 by 5.98 and 5.38 times, respectively, leading to further disruption of algal photosynthesis. This study underscores the unexplored potential of systematically utilized microbial agents in mitigating HABs, providing a pathway for their wider application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology, Ecology and Management of Harmful Algae)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Detection of 2-MIB Synthetic Cyanobacteria and Variation of Intracellular 2-MIB Synthesis Using by eDNA and eRNA in Freshwater Ecosystem
Authors: Keonhee Kim, Nan-Young Kim, Chaehong Park, Soon-Jin Hwang
Affiliation: Haman and Ecocare center, Konkuk University, South Korea (H. Kim, N.-Y. Kim, S.-J. Hwang)
Abstract: This study, primers were developed to detect 2-MIB synthesis genes in cyanobacteria, and the potential for odor-producing substance synthesis and gene expression in cyanobacteria was analyzed at major sites in the North Han River using eDNA real-time PCR methods.

Back to TopTop