Biodiversity in Marine Plants

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Systematics, Taxonomy, Nomenclature and Classification".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 10482

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Centro Oceanográfico de A Coruña, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, 15001 Coruña, Spain
Interests: biodiversity; biogeography; marine algae; phylogeny; seaweeds; systematics

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Guest Editor
Centro Oceanográfico de A Coruña, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, 15001 Coruña, Spain
Interests: macrophyte ecology; bioindicators; coastal pollution; trait-based approaches; multiple stressor interactions
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The diversity of marine species, including all genotypic and phenotypic variations at different scales and under different stressors, has been a key topic for years. From the earliest taxonomic studies to the use of modern techniques, such as high-throughput sequencing, the diversity of marine ecosystems has posed new questions regarding its characterization, importance, and the processes involved in its change. In addition, within diversity, functional diversity studies the measurement of species´ traits within an ecosystem and their relation to ecosystem functioning, processes, and services.

This Special Issue of Plants aims to gather studies focused on the diversity of marine plants based on these different approaches, namely, systematics and ecology. Particular attention will be given to studies highlighting significant advances in species discovery and classification, as well as the relation between ecosystem diversity and the ecosystem´s sustainability and resilience under climate change and other anthropogenic stressors, such as eutrophication.

Dr. Pilar Díaz-Tapia
Dr. Inés G. Viana
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • ecology
  • functional diversity
  • microalgae
  • systematics
  • seaweeds
  • seagrasses
  • taxonomy

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 1995 KiB  
Article
A Critical Gap in Seagrass Protection: Impact of Anthropogenic Off-Shore Nutrient Discharges on Deep Posidonia oceanica Meadows
by Judit Jiménez-Casero, Maria Dolores Belando, Jaime Bernardeau-Esteller, Lazaro Marín-Guirao, Rocio García-Muñoz, José Luis Sánchez-Lizaso and Juan Manuel Ruiz
Plants 2023, 12(3), 457; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030457 - 19 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4201
Abstract
In the Mediterranean, anthropogenic pressures (specifically those involving nutrient loads) have been progressively moved to deeper off-shore areas to meet current policies dealing with the protection of marine biodiversity (e.g., European Directives). However, conservation efforts devoted to protecting Posidonia oceanica and other vulnerable [...] Read more.
In the Mediterranean, anthropogenic pressures (specifically those involving nutrient loads) have been progressively moved to deeper off-shore areas to meet current policies dealing with the protection of marine biodiversity (e.g., European Directives). However, conservation efforts devoted to protecting Posidonia oceanica and other vulnerable marine habitats against anthropogenic pressures have dedicated very little attention to the deepest areas of these habitats. We studied the remote influence of off-shore nutrient discharge on the physiology and structure of deep P. oceanica meadows located nearest to an urban sewage outfall (WW; 1 km) and an aquaculture facility (FF; 2.5 km). Light reduction and elevated external nutrient availability (as indicated by high δ15N, total N and P content and N uptake rates of seagrass tissues) were consistent with physiological responses to light and nutrient stress. This was particularly evident in the sites located up to 2.5 km from the WW source, where carbon budget imbalances and structural alterations were more evident. These results provide evidence that anthropogenic nutrient inputs can surpass critical thresholds for the species, even in off-shore waters at distances within the km scale. Therefore, the critical distances between this priority habitat and nutrient discharge points have been underestimated and should be corrected to achieve a good conservation status. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity in Marine Plants)
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19 pages, 2248 KiB  
Article
More than What Meets the Eye: Differential Spatiotemporal Distribution of Cryptic Intertidal Bangiales
by Fernanda P. Cid Alda, Nelson Valdivia and Marie-Laure Guillemin
Plants 2022, 11(5), 605; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11050605 - 24 Feb 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2437
Abstract
Morphologically similar but genetically distinct species have been termed cryptic and most have been assumed to be ecologically similar. However, if these species co-occur at a certain spatial scale, some niche differences at finer scales should be expected to allow for coexistence. Here, [...] Read more.
Morphologically similar but genetically distinct species have been termed cryptic and most have been assumed to be ecologically similar. However, if these species co-occur at a certain spatial scale, some niche differences at finer scales should be expected to allow for coexistence. Here, we demonstrate the existence of a disjointed distribution of cryptic bladed Bangiales along spatial (intertidal elevations) and temporal (seasons) environmental gradients. Bladed Bangiales were identified and quantified across four intertidal elevations and four seasons for one year, at five rocky intertidal sites (between 39° S and 43° S) in southern Chile. Species determination was based on partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI) gene amplification. To assess species gross morphology, thallus shape, color, and maximum length and width were recorded. Hundreds of organisms were classified into nine Bangiales species belonging to three genera (i.e., Fuscifolium, Porphyra, and Pyropia), including five frequent (>97% of specimens) and four infrequent species. All species, except for Pyropia saldanhae, had been previously reported along the coasts of Chile. The thallus shape and color were very variable, and a large overlap of the maximum width and length supported the cryptic status of these species. Multivariate analyses showed that the main variable affecting species composition was intertidal elevation. Species such as Py. orbicularis were more abundant in low and mid intertidal zones, while others, such as Po. mumfordii and Po. sp. FIH, were principally observed in high and spray elevations. Despite all numerically dominant species being present all year long, a slight effect of seasonal variation on species composition was also detected. These results strongly support the existence of spatial niche partitioning in cryptic Bangiales along the Chilean rocky intertidal zone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity in Marine Plants)
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15 pages, 3348 KiB  
Article
Taxonomic Revision of Hook-Forming Acrosorium (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta) from the Northwestern Pacific Based on Morphology and Molecular Data
by Jeong Chan Kang, Showe-Mei Lin, Kathy Ann Miller and Myung Sook Kim
Plants 2021, 10(11), 2269; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112269 - 22 Oct 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2340
Abstract
Cosmopolitan Acrosorium species with hook-forming thalli have been merged under the name of Acrosorium ciliolatum (Harvey) Kylin through a long and complicated nomenclatural history. We examined the specimens of ‘A. ciliolatum’ and related taxa from the northwestern (NW) Pacific, the UK, southern [...] Read more.
Cosmopolitan Acrosorium species with hook-forming thalli have been merged under the name of Acrosorium ciliolatum (Harvey) Kylin through a long and complicated nomenclatural history. We examined the specimens of ‘A. ciliolatum’ and related taxa from the northwestern (NW) Pacific, the UK, southern Spain, Australia, New Zealand, and Chile, using morphological and molecular analyses. We confirmed that these specimens are separated into four clades based on rbcL phylogeny, and the absence or presence of terminal hook-like structures represent intraspecific variation. Our results indicated that Acrosorium flabellatum Yamada, Cryptopleura hayamensis Yamada, Cryptopleura membranacea Yamada and the entities known as ‘A. ciliolatum’ in the NW Pacific are conspecific; the name A. flabellatum is the oldest and has priority. This taxon exhibits extreme variations in external blade morphology. We also confirmed that the position of the tetrasporangial sori is a valuable diagnostic characteristic for distinguishing A. flabellatum in the NW Pacific. We also discussed the need for further study of European and southern hemisphere specimens from type localities, as well as the ambiguous position of California specimens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity in Marine Plants)
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