Coralline Algae and Rhodolith Beds: Biodiversity, Ecology, Conservation, and Global Change
A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity Conservation".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2027 | Viewed by 50
Editor
Interests: algal diversity; biodiversity; taxonomy; scientific diving; conservation; marine biodiversity; marine environment; marine ecology; algae; marine biology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Coralline algae are among the most important marine ecosystem engineers, playing fundamental roles in carbonate production, reef accretion, habitat formation, and the maintenance of marine biodiversity. They occur throughout virtually all photic marine environments, where they form crusts, reefs, and extensive rhodolith beds that rank among the world's largest biogenic habitats. Beyond their ecological importance, coralline algae constitute valuable paleoenvironmental archives, providing high-resolution records of past oceanographic and climatic conditions through their skeletal morphology, growth banding, elemental composition, and stable isotopes. Despite their ecological and geological significance, many aspects of coralline algal biology, taxonomy, evolution, physiology, ecology, and conservation remain poorly understood. At the same time, these organisms are increasingly threatened by global environmental change, including ocean warming, acidification, marine heatwaves, pollution, coastal development, sedimentation, biological invasions, oil and gas activities, overfishing, and other anthropogenic stressors. Recent advances in molecular biology, imaging techniques, genomics, remote sensing, geochemical analyses, and ecological monitoring have greatly expanded opportunities to investigate these unique calcifying algae, reconstruct past environmental change, and improve our understanding of the ecosystems they support.
This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive forum for recent advances in all aspects of coralline algae and rhodolith bed research. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and communications addressing topics including, but not limited to, taxonomy, systematics, phylogeny, evolution, biodiversity, biogeography, physiology, biomineralization, genomics, ecology, ecosystem functioning, associated biodiversity, reef ecology, rhodolith bed dynamics, paleoecology, paleoceanography, paleoenvironmental reconstructions, geochemistry, algocronology, ecosystem services, restoration, environmental monitoring, management, conservation biology, and the impacts of climate and global environmental change. Contributions integrating multiple disciplines, spatial scales, and methodological approaches are particularly encouraged. By bringing together researchers from diverse fields worldwide, this Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of the biology, evolution, ecological importance, and geological significance of coralline algae and rhodolith beds, while providing the scientific foundation needed for their effective conservation and sustainable management in a rapidly changing ocean.
Dr. Ricardo da Gama Bahia
Guest Editor
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
- coralline algae
- biodiversity
- systematics
- biogeography
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