Diversity, Phylogeny and Ecology of Marine Microorganisms

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Diversity and Culture Collections".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 753

Special Issue Editors

College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Interests: bacterial taxonomy; genomics and metagenomics; Flavobacteriaceae; environmental microbiology

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Guest Editor
College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Interests: taxonomy; phototrophic bacteria; comparative genomics; phylogenome; marine ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
Interests: deep sea; microbial ecology; microbial functional genomics; marine biogeochemical cycle

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Guest Editor
Institute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council, Spianata S. Raineri 86, 98122 Messina, Italy
Interests: microbial ecology of aquatic and terrestrial systems; associations between prokaryotes and benthic filter-feeders; prokaryotes in the cryosphere; response by prokaryotic communities to anthropogenic stressors; biotechnological potentialities of cold-adapted bacteria
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine ecosystems among the most important ecosystems in the world, characterized by their unique biological communities and physical conditions. These ecosystems encompass various habitats, including estuaries, tidal flats, salt marshes, mangrove forests, coral reefs, pelagic ocean and deep sea. Microorganisms including bacteria and archaea are essential for marine ecosystems and are responsible for the stabilization, ecological remediation and sustainable development of marine ecosystems. Further ongoing studies on microbial ecology and evolution in different marine environments will provide more evidence of the role of microorganisms in marine ecosystems, and the discovery of novel microbial taxa will result in new functions, new genes and new knowledge.

This Special Issue will discuss novel understanding of the diversity, phylogeny and ecology of marine microorganisms and lay the foundation for in-depth physiological, genetic and ecological studies and applications of marine microorganisms. Themes of research and review papers could include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Ecological drivers of microbial diversity in different marine ecosystems;
  • The response of microbial communities to increasing anthropogenic influence and climate changes;
  • Role of marine microorganisms and corresponding genes in biogeochemical cycles;
  • Identification of novel marine microbial taxa.

Dr. Cong Sun
Dr. Lin Xu
Dr. Jianyang Li
Dr. Angelina Lo Giudice
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 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

  • marine ecosystem
  • microbial diversity and evolution
  • microbial ecology and environmental adaptation
  • phylogeny of bacteria and archaea

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3985 KB  
Article
Microbial Diversity, Selective Isolation and Bioactivity Characterization of Bacterial Populations in Eutrophic Seawater of Coastal East China Sea
by Qiao Yang, Bowen Ouyang, Bingqian Liu and Xiaoling Zhang
Diversity 2025, 17(10), 727; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17100727 - 17 Oct 2025
Abstract
Marine bacteria possess significant potential for numerous applications including environmental remediation, creation of natural products and medicines, agriculture, and various industrial sectors. In this study, the diversity of bacterial populations in the seawater at the nearshore S1 station which is a frequent red-tide [...] Read more.
Marine bacteria possess significant potential for numerous applications including environmental remediation, creation of natural products and medicines, agriculture, and various industrial sectors. In this study, the diversity of bacterial populations in the seawater at the nearshore S1 station which is a frequent red-tide occurrence area in the East China Sea, was characterized using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing analysis. The three predominant phyla in the bacterial communities were identified as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, with the families Rhodobacteraceae, Mycobacteriaceae, and Flavobacteriaceae as the dominant groups, respectively. The bacterial community composition at the S1 station significantly differed from those of the other five investigated coastal sites, and demonstrated its own unique taxonomic associations with the Rhodobacteraceae as the keystone species. Functional prediction through KEGG and MetaCyc analyses revealed the presence of an L-tryptophan biosynthesis pathway responsible for indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production. By using the targeted isolation of cultivable bacterial strains, a novel red-pigmented bacterium, designated S1-TA-50, which produced IAA metabolites, was recovered from the S1 station. It was identified as a potential novel species within the genus Sulfitobacter in the family Rhodobacteraceae. This bacterium demonstrated notable antibacterial activity against four model pathogenic strains and also acted as a new microalgae growth-promoting bacterium with substantial IAA production after bacterial culture optimization. This study contributes to the accumulation of scientific knowledge regarding the dynamics of marine bacterial ecosystems in nearshore eutrophic environments and facilitates a better understanding of phycosphere bacterial roles in coastal ecosystems, as well as the comprehensive utilization of microbial resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Phylogeny and Ecology of Marine Microorganisms)
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23 pages, 5187 KB  
Article
Epibenthic Dinoflagellates in the Southern Gulf of California: Species Composition and Abundance
by Yuri B. Okolodkov, Ismael Gárate-Lizárraga, Victor A. Cervantes-Urieta, Manuel E. Martínez-Cruz and Citlalli Galicia-García
Diversity 2025, 17(10), 674; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17100674 - 26 Sep 2025
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Abstract
Bahía de La Paz is the largest bay in the southern Gulf of California. This bay is an important area with a variety of commercial fish species and other natural resources and recreational activities. Epibenthic dinoflagellates are common inhabitants of harbors, inlets and [...] Read more.
Bahía de La Paz is the largest bay in the southern Gulf of California. This bay is an important area with a variety of commercial fish species and other natural resources and recreational activities. Epibenthic dinoflagellates are common inhabitants of harbors, inlets and semi-enclosed coastal lagoons; they produce potent toxins that may negatively affect human health and marine biota. The purpose of the present study was to identify potentially harmful epibenthic dinoflagellates growing on macroalgae from different coastal sites of the bay to determine their species composition, abundances, seasonal distributions, interannual and spatial variations. A total of 153 quantitative samples were collected in 2015–2019 (at 10 sites during four samplings in May, June and December) mainly from macroalgae. About 23 dinoflagellate species from the genera Prorocentrum, Ostreopsis, Sinophysis, Gambierdiscus, Fukuyoa, Amphidinium, Blixaea, Bysmatrum, Cabra, Coolia, Durinskia and Plagiodinium were found as epiphytes on at least 58 macroalgal species of 42 genera. Toxigenic genera, such as Gambierdiscus, Ostreopsis, Coolia and Prorocentrum, were widespread throughout the study area. Playa El Tecolote and Playa Costa Baja were the best habitats for dinoflagellates; therefore, the two locations can be considered the beaches with the greatest risk to human health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Phylogeny and Ecology of Marine Microorganisms)
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