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Marine Macrophytes Responses to Global Change
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Marine Macrophytes Responses to Global Change

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 June 2025 | Viewed by 2560

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Claudio A. Sáez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Ciencias del Mar y Biología Aplicada, Universidad de Alicante, Carretera de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690 Alicante, Spain
Interests: macrophyte ecophysiology; marine ecotoxicology; environmental biotechnology; climate change; pollution
Dr. Alex R. Santillán-Sarmiento

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Investigación para el Territorio y el Hábitat Sostenible, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Machala y Sabanilla, Quito 170103, Ecuador
Interests: marine ecotoxicology; macrophyte ecophysiology; stress physiology; molecular ecology; bioprospecting

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine macrophytes, including seagrasses, mangroves, and seaweeds, are vital to coastal and marine ecosystems due to their roles in habitat provision, shoreline stabilization, and carbon sequestration. These organisms are crucial for maintaining biodiversity and supporting fisheries, thus having significant ecological and economic impacts.

However, global changes such as climate change and ocean acidification pose severe threats to these macrophyte systems. On a local scale, rising temperatures, eutrophication, and pollution can lead to physiological stress, altered growth patterns, and even large-scale die-offs of these foundational species. Understanding how marine macrophytes respond to these environmental changes at physiological and molecular levels is essential for predicting their future health and sustainability.

This Special Issue aims to gather together research focused on the responses of marine macrophytes to both global and local environmental changes. We seek studies that explore the physiological and molecular mechanisms underpinning macrophyte resilience or vulnerability. Contributions may include experimental research, field studies, and modelling efforts that examine how changes in temperature, CO2 levels, and other stressors influence macrophyte health, growth, and ecological functions. This collection will provide valuable insights for scientists, policymakers, and conservationists working to preserve marine macrophyte habitats in the face of ongoing environmental challenges.

Dr. Claudio A. Sáez
Dr. Alex R. Santillán-Sarmiento
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. 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

  • marine macrophytes
  • ocean acidification
  • mangroves
  • seagrass
  • seaweeds
  • restoration
  • stress responses
  • global chance
  • rising temperatures
  • marine pollution

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 3723 KiB  
Article
Combined Effects of Marine Heatwaves and Light Intensity on the Physiological, Transcriptomic, and Metabolomic Profiles of Undaria pinnatifida
by Hanmo Song, Yan Liu, Qingli Gong and Xu Gao
Plants 2025, 14(10), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14101419 - 9 May 2025
Viewed by 277
Abstract
Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are spreading across global oceanic regions with unprecedented intensity, frequency, and duration, and are often accompanied by changes in underwater light, thereby imposing multiple stressors on coastal macroalgae. In this study, the effects of MHW intensities (moderate: +3 °C; severe: [...] Read more.
Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are spreading across global oceanic regions with unprecedented intensity, frequency, and duration, and are often accompanied by changes in underwater light, thereby imposing multiple stressors on coastal macroalgae. In this study, the effects of MHW intensities (moderate: +3 °C; severe: +6 °C) and light intensities (normal: 90 μmol photons m−2 s−1; high: 270 μmol photons m−2 s−1) on cultivated Undaria pinnatifida were investigated through an integrated analysis of physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic responses. Under moderate MHW conditions, U. pinnatifida exhibited enhanced growth and photosynthetic performance, with increased pigment content, improved electron transport, and the early activation of antioxidant defenses. Following severe MHW exposure, the partial recovery of some physiological traits was observed, while photosynthetic capacity, membrane integrity, and energy metabolism remained impaired, and oxidative damage was not fully resolved. High light stress further aggravated stress responses under both MHW intensities by disrupting photoprotection and weakening antioxidant defense systems. These results suggest that U. pinnatifida exhibits adaptive capacity under moderate MHWs and delayed physiological damage and incomplete recovery under severe MHWs. High light stress further exacerbates both responses, ultimately affecting yield and quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Macrophytes Responses to Global Change)
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22 pages, 8463 KiB  
Article
Synergistic Impacts of Phosphorus Deficiency Coupled with Thermal and High-Light Stress on Physiological Profiles of Cultivated Saccharina japonica
by Jing Zhang, Xiaonan Wang, Xingyue Ren, Xu Gao and Jingyu Li
Plants 2025, 14(10), 1412; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14101412 - 8 May 2025
Viewed by 388
Abstract
Global kelp farming is garnering growing attention for its contributions to fishery yields, environmental remediation, and carbon neutrality efforts. Kelp farming systems face escalating pressures from compounded climatic and environmental stressors. A severe outbreak disaster caused extensive kelp mortality and significant economic losses [...] Read more.
Global kelp farming is garnering growing attention for its contributions to fishery yields, environmental remediation, and carbon neutrality efforts. Kelp farming systems face escalating pressures from compounded climatic and environmental stressors. A severe outbreak disaster caused extensive kelp mortality and significant economic losses in Rongcheng, China, one of the world’s largest kelp farming areas. This study investigated the growth and physiological responses of Saccharina japonica to combined stressors involving three levels of N:P ratios (10:1 as a control; 100:1 and 500:1 to represent phosphorus deficiency stress) and two temperature/light regimes (12 °C, 90 μmol photons m−2 s−1 as a control, and 17 °C, 340 μmol photons m−2 s−1 to represent thermal and high-light stress). The results demonstrated that phosphorus deficiency significantly inhibited the relative growth rate of kelp (24% decrease), and the strongest growth inhibition in kelp was observed at the N:P ratio of 500:1 combined with thermal and high-light stress. The algal tissue was whitened due to its progressive disintegration under escalating stress, coupled with damage to its chloroplasts and nucleus ultrastructures. Phosphorus-deficiency-induced declines in photochemistry (27–56% decrease) and chlorophyll content (63% decrease) were paradoxically and transiently reversed by thermal and high-light stress, but this “false recovery” accelerated subsequent metabolic collapse (a 60–75% decrease in the growth rate and a loss of thallus integrity). Alkaline phosphatase was preferentially activated to cope with phosphorus deficiency combined with photothermal stress, while acid phosphatase was subsequently induced to provide auxiliary support. S. japonica suppressed its metabolism but upregulated its nucleotides under phosphorus deficiency; however, the energy/amino acid/coenzyme pathways were activated and a broad spectrum of metabolites were upregulated under combined stressors, indicating that S. japonica employs a dual adaptive strategy where phosphorus scarcity triggers metabolic conservation. Thermal/light stress can override phosphorus limitations by activating specific compensatory pathways. The findings of this study provide a foundation for the sustainable development of kelp farming under climate and environmental changes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Macrophytes Responses to Global Change)
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15 pages, 3922 KiB  
Article
Renewable Energy from Beach-Cast Seaweed: Calorific Power Heating Studies with Macroalgae
by Fernando Pinto Coelho, Everardo Valadares de Sá Barreto Sampaio, Márcio Gomes Barboza, Elica Amara Cecília Guedes-Coelho, Manoel Messias da Silva Costa, Emerson Carlos Soares da Silva, Victor Andrei Rodrigues Carneiro, Bruno Moreira Soares, Elvis Joacir de França, Rômulo Simões Cezar Menezes and Cesar Augusto Moraes de Abreu
Plants 2025, 14(7), 1005; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14071005 - 23 Mar 2025
Viewed by 464
Abstract
Some stretches of the Brazilian coast are regularly subject to a natural process of macroalgae deposition. In urban beach areas, public institutions responsible for cleaning collect this biomass and dispose of it in landfills. When this biomass is exposed to the sun for [...] Read more.
Some stretches of the Brazilian coast are regularly subject to a natural process of macroalgae deposition. In urban beach areas, public institutions responsible for cleaning collect this biomass and dispose of it in landfills. When this biomass is exposed to the sun for a long time in the littoral area, a decomposition process begins and causes greenhouse gas emission into the atmosphere. Macroalgae biomass is a natural resource that could be used for renewable energy, contributing to meeting the growing demand for low environmental impacts of energy, indicating the possibility of participating in sustainable development. The objective of this research was to evaluate the energetic potential of macroalgae biomass deposited on the Maceió coast; specifically, the combustion capacity of aggregate biomass and pellet biofuel produced with macroalgae. The research, which analysed 13 species, proceeded using a calorimetric pump methodology to determine the power heating value and a mass spectrophotometer to determine the available energetic chemical elements. The result of 8.82 MJ/Kg was similar to the main biomass used in Brazil, the sugarcane bagasse, evaluated at 8.91 MJ/Kg. Aggregated macroalgae biomass in condensed pellets with energetic composites obtained a value of 4823 Kcal/Kg, 1.2% more than the average of terrestrial biomass pellets. Therefore, these results show possibilities to produce biofuel using thermal energy from marine macroalgae biomass. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Macrophytes Responses to Global Change)
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18 pages, 7302 KiB  
Article
Allelopathic Interactions Between the Green-Tide-Forming Ulva prolifera and the Golden-Tide-Forming Sargassum horneri Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions
by Ruibin Sun, Onjira Korboon, Wenfei Ma, Xingyue Ren, Xiaonan Wang, Narongrit Muangmai, Qikun Xing, Xu Gao and Jingyu Li
Plants 2024, 13(21), 2966; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13212966 - 24 Oct 2024
Viewed by 983
Abstract
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) represent a significant global marine ecological disaster. In the Yellow Sea, green and golden tides often occur simultaneously or sequentially, suggesting that interspecific competition involves not only spatial and resource competition but also allelopathy. This study investigated the allelopathic [...] Read more.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) represent a significant global marine ecological disaster. In the Yellow Sea, green and golden tides often occur simultaneously or sequentially, suggesting that interspecific competition involves not only spatial and resource competition but also allelopathy. This study investigated the allelopathic interactions between Ulva prolifera and Sargassum horneri using physiological and biochemical parameters, including relative growth rate (RGR), cell ultrastructure, chlorophyll fluorescence, enzyme activity, and metabolomics analysis. The results showed that S. horneri filtrate significantly inhibited U. prolifera growth, while U. prolifera filtrate had no significant effect on S. horneri. Both algal filtrates caused cellular damage and affected photosynthesis, enzyme activities, and metabolism. However, their allelopathic responses differed: U. prolifera may rely on internal compensatory mechanisms, while S. horneri may depend on defense strategies. These findings provide insights into the dynamics of green and golden tides and support the scientific control of HABs through allelopathy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Macrophytes Responses to Global Change)
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