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Plants
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Algal Responses to Abiotic and Biotic Environmental Factors
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Algal Responses to Abiotic and Biotic Environmental Factors

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 2807

Editor

Dr. Maksymilian Zienkiewicz

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Guest Editor
Department of Molecular Plant Physiology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
Interests: algal; abiotic and biotic stress; molecular plant physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Algae are among the most ancient and versatile organisms on Earth. As primary producers, they are pivotal in shaping ecosystems and maintaining ecological balance. Their ability to adapt to environmental changes is increasingly relevant, especially in the context of different environmental conditions.

This Special Issue focuses on the diverse physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of algae to abiotic and biotic environmental factors. It welcomes original research and reviews addressing how algae adapt to stressors such as light, temperature, salinity, nutrient availability, pollutants, and interactions with other organisms. By highlighting these adaptive mechanisms, the issue aims to deepen our understanding of algal ecology and resilience, with implications for biotechnology, climate change research, and ecosystem management.

Dr. Maksymilian Zienkiewicz
Guest Editor

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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-anonymized 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.

Keywords

  • algae
  • mechanisms of adaptation
  • environmental stress
  • abiotic and biotic stress
  • genetic modification

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 6282 KB  
Article
Growth of Limnospira platensis Under Elevated CO2 with the Addition of Sodium Selenite
by Anatoly V. Grigorenko, Elizaveta M. Kovalenko, Marina E. Vavilkina, Maksim A. Kravets and Mikhail S. Vlaskin
Plants 2026, 15(16), 2472; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15162472 - 14 Aug 2026
Viewed by 131
Abstract
Cultivation of L. platensis under elevated CO2 ensures CO2 biofixation, while adding Na2SeO3 to the culture medium, produces valuable Se-enriched biomass. This study evaluated the effect of Na2SeO3 supplementation (20–640 mg/L) on the growth of [...] Read more.
Cultivation of L. platensis under elevated CO2 ensures CO2 biofixation, while adding Na2SeO3 to the culture medium, produces valuable Se-enriched biomass. This study evaluated the effect of Na2SeO3 supplementation (20–640 mg/L) on the growth of L. platensis under 3 vol.% CO2. The cultivation was carried out in 10 L column-type photobioreactors under continuous (24 h·d−1) illumination with intensity of 220 µmol·m−2·s−1, a constant temperature of 27 °C and aeration rate of 1 L/min. Two consecutive cultivation cycles (8 days each) were conducted: the first with the original strain and the second with an inoculum adapted to 20 mg/L (taken from the first cycle). The growth rate, cell viability, pH, and the concentrations of nitrates, phosphates, carbonates, bicarbonates, NH4+ ion were investigated. It was established that under intensive cultivation at elevated CO2, L. platensis is very sensitive to Na2SeO3 supplements: concentrations > 160 mg/L led to culture death within the first 2–4 days, while the acute toxicity threshold lies in the range of 80–100 mg/L. The highest biomass growth rate in the 1st and 2nd cycles was achieved in the control (0 mg/L of Na2SeO3): 329 and 239 mg·L−1·d−1 dry weight, respectively. At 20 mg/L, the growth rate drops to 289 and 208 mg·L−1·d−1 in the 1st and 2nd cycles, respectively. The percentage of live trichomes at the end of the 1st and 2nd cycles at 20 mg/L was 85 and 67%, respectively, indicating low adaptation capacity even to this concentration of Na2SeO3. The addition of Na2SeO3 did not lead to significant pH deviations from the control. Nitrates and phosphates consumption slowed down at Na2SeO3 concentrations of 40–60 mg/L. Bicarbonate and carbonate ions did not change significantly across all samples due to the maintenance of elevated CO2 concentration. In a separate experiment under atmospheric CO2 (0.04%), selenite toxicity was less pronounced than under 3% CO2, and growth declined after day 4 due to carbon limitation rather than selenite toxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Algal Responses to Abiotic and Biotic Environmental Factors)
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22 pages, 12513 KB  
Article
Polyphosphate Attenuates Oxidative Stress to Support Temperature Adaptability in Hot Spring Cyanobacteria
by Xiaohua Song, Yong’an Wei, Minxiang Xu, Di He, Liyu Pan, Chenyu Wang, Jingyun Yin, Chenyuan Kong, Xiaotong Ge, Shunqing Yang, Liuyan Yang and Mengmeng Wang
Plants 2026, 15(13), 2011; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15132011 - 29 Jun 2026
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Abstract
Thermophilic cyanobacteria successfully colonize thermal gradients within hot springs, implying evolved mechanisms to cope with temperature-induced oxidative stress. Although polyphosphate (polyP) is known to contribute to oxidative stress resistance, its specific role in thermophilic cyanobacteria remains poorly understood. To address this, this study [...] Read more.
Thermophilic cyanobacteria successfully colonize thermal gradients within hot springs, implying evolved mechanisms to cope with temperature-induced oxidative stress. Although polyphosphate (polyP) is known to contribute to oxidative stress resistance, its specific role in thermophilic cyanobacteria remains poorly understood. To address this, this study established a temperature gradient (30–70 °C) and used phloretin (polyP synthesis inhibitor) plus exogenous polyP to investigate polyP metabolism, redox homeostasis, photosynthetic function, and growth of Thermosynechococcus sp. FJSJ-1 from hot spring. The results show that temperature fluctuations specifically induce polyP accumulation, whereas inhibiting polyP synthesis sharply elevates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and overloads intrinsic defenses including superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, and heat shock proteins. Crucially, exogenous polyP rescued phloretin-induced oxidative damage and growth inhibition. PolyP mitigates oxidative damage not by direct ROS scavenging but by integrating and reinforcing endogenous antioxidant network. This protective effect in turn safeguards photosystem II from oxidative attack, thereby preserving photosynthetic pigment stability, phycobiliprotein content, and electron transport efficiency. Taken together, polyP contributes to temperature adaptability in Thermosynechococcus sp. FJSJ-1 by coordinating antioxidant defense. This study elucidates a key molecular strategy for thriving across temperature ranges in geothermal ecosystems, advancing microbial adaptation knowledge and providing a theoretical basis for engineering thermotolerant strains for bioremediation and biofuel production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Algal Responses to Abiotic and Biotic Environmental Factors)
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26 pages, 2824 KB  
Article
Interrelated Roles of Chloride and Bicarbonate in Regulating Electron Transport Across Photosystem II in Limnospira maxima
by Leslie Castillo, Nicole Seliga, Nidhi Patel, Grant Steiner, Gustavo Chavez, Alexis Diaz and Colin Gates
Plants 2026, 15(10), 1490; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15101490 - 13 May 2026
Viewed by 1121
Abstract
Efficient charge separation and electron transfer in Photosystem II (PSII) depend on small inorganic cofactors that maintain redox balance and catalytic stability. Chloride facilitates water-oxidizing-complex turnover and minimizes charge recombination. Bicarbonate, coordinated to the non-heme iron, facilitates electron transfer between the plastoquinones Q [...] Read more.
Efficient charge separation and electron transfer in Photosystem II (PSII) depend on small inorganic cofactors that maintain redox balance and catalytic stability. Chloride facilitates water-oxidizing-complex turnover and minimizes charge recombination. Bicarbonate, coordinated to the non-heme iron, facilitates electron transfer between the plastoquinones QA and QB. This work investigates cooperativity between these cofactors across PSII in the hypercarbonate-requiring cyanobacterium Limnospira maxima. Bromide-for-chloride substitution induces a distinct kinetic limitation at the water oxidizing complex. While bicarbonate depletion inhibits electron transfer at the acceptor side, bromide-substituted cells maintain a measurable level of electron flow through the intersystem chain. The presence of bromide induces structural changes that allow partial electron transfer to continue even in the absence of the bicarbonate cofactor, which is not observed in the chloride system. However, this dual anion stress results in irreversible functional impairment in some centers, whereas full recovery of activity is observed with native chloride. When the donor side is restricted by bromide, the loss of bicarbonate, which is thought to function as a proton buffer for the donor side, compromises the overall stability of the reaction center. This leads to a permanent decrease in activity of the electron transfer chain, suggesting an interdependence between the roles of chloride and bicarbonate that is essential for protecting PSII during ionic stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Algal Responses to Abiotic and Biotic Environmental Factors)
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21 pages, 6478 KB  
Article
Multidimensional Drivers of Phytoplankton Assembly in a Karst Reservoir: Seasonal Dynamics and Regulatory Implications
by Zhongxiu Yuan, Mengshu Han, Lan Chen, Yan Chen, Jing Xiao, Qian Chen, Qiuhua Li and Yongxia Liu
Plants 2026, 15(7), 1024; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15071024 - 26 Mar 2026
Viewed by 677
Abstract
Baihua Reservoir, a typical large waterbody in the karst region of southwestern China and an essential drinking water source, is characterized by a high carbonate buffering capacity that profoundly shapes the structure and function of its phytoplankton community. This study systematically elucidates the [...] Read more.
Baihua Reservoir, a typical large waterbody in the karst region of southwestern China and an essential drinking water source, is characterized by a high carbonate buffering capacity that profoundly shapes the structure and function of its phytoplankton community. This study systematically elucidates the multi-dimensional driving mechanisms underlying seasonal phytoplankton community assembly in karst reservoirs by integrating multiple analytical models—including the Neutral Community Model, β-diversity decomposition, co-occurrence network analysis, XGBoost-SHAP machine learning, and Partial Least Squares Path Modeling—based on monthly sampling at five sites from 2020 to 2024. The results revealed that: (1) Stochastic processes dominated community assembly across all four seasons, while deterministic processes played a crucial role in local species turnover. (2) The co-occurrence network structure showed significant seasonal dynamics, with the composition of keystone species adaptively shifting in response to changing environmental conditions. (3) The key environmental factors influencing the phytoplankton community exhibited clear seasonal patterns, primarily pH, NH3-N, and CODMn in spring; water temperature, CODMn, and NH3-N in summer; TN, TP, and pH in autumn; and pH, water temperature, and DO in winter. To support the sustainable management of karst reservoirs, we propose seasonally differentiated strategies derived from our phytoplankton community analysis: target CODMn reduction in spring and summer, focus on TN and TP load control in autumn, prioritize water column stability in winter, and maintain hydrological connectivity and pH monitoring year-round. This approach enhances phytoplankton community stability, safeguards drinking water safety, and provides a targeted management model for similar reservoir ecosystems globally. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Algal Responses to Abiotic and Biotic Environmental Factors)
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