Ecology and Evolution of Harmful Algal Blooms
A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine and Freshwater Toxins".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 555
Special Issue Editors
Interests: bioluminescence; saxitoxin; Pyrodinium bahamense; molecular ecology; copper
Interests: algal toxins; biosynthesis; sterolysin; karlotoxin; fishkill
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
While the frequency and intensity of harmful algal blooms are increasing around the world, they are not a new phenomenon; there are reports of “red tides” from as far back as the 16th century. Collectively, there are 17 major classes of phycotoxins produced by a range of marine dinoflagellate species; this number increases when including other phytoplankton, such as diatoms and cyanobacteria. This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts related to the ecology and evolution of harmful algal blooms. The function of many of these toxins—their role in the ecology of the species that produce them—remains unknown. Contributions are encouraged that examine the eco-evolutionary role of these toxins for the algae that produce them, including, but not limited to, their molecular targets in co-occurring organisms and previously unrecognized physiological effects on both co-occurring microbes and higher-trophic-level organisms. Some toxins are thought to serve as defensive strategies, yet much remains to be learned about predator–toxic-prey interactions, and particularly their costs and benefits; thus, studies that examine the fitness costs associated with toxin production are encouraged. With the advent of molecular tools for studying some of these bloom species, we are learning that they are not monoclonal events. There is a great diversity within a single species bloom. Studies on both genetic diversity as well as physiological trait diversity are welcome. Bloom evolution includes how blooms in a certain region change and evolve over time, and also, at the genetic and molecular levels, within a single bloom. Studies on the physiological processes, molecular machinery, and genetic diversity as a bloom progresses, and how these processes change (or not) during subsequent blooms, at both the single-cell and population level, are highly encouraged. In some bloom-forming species, cysts are believed to play an important role, and so this lifestyle trait is also considered part of bloom evolution. Studies that incorporate and utilize tools for tracking if and how blooms evolve over time are welcome.
Dr. Kathleen D. Cusick
Prof. Dr. Allen Place
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- algal toxin
- genetic/strain diversity
- eco-evolutionary role
- molecular target
- biological function
- fitness cost
- trophic interactions
- molecular evolution
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