Marine Microorganisms: Diversity, Bioactivity and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The scarcity of available resources will result in challenges due to the increased demand for resources to support technological, social, and human well-being, thus serving as motivation for identifying reserves of unexploited resources. The marine environment represents a lesser-explored resource with immeasurable potential due to the vast associated microbial diversity. In fact, the marine environment has several characteristics that facilitate the discovery of new microbial strains with unique features that can be exploited in the discovery and development of new bioactive molecules. Marine microorganisms represent a diversified source of bioactive metabolites that could potentially be used as new drugs. They are somewhat undervalued compared with their terrestrial counterparts, and their chemical and biological diversity is still being underestimated. Many new or little-studied taxa (neglected species) need to be carefully investigated in the search to discover new bioactive metabolites. In this context, it must be taken into account that the oceans cover 71% of Earth’s surface, and about 70% of the total marine biomass is represented by microorganisms. Thus, understanding the diversity and importance of marine microorganisms is vital, particularly in this period of rapid global changes. This topic is devoted to the fundamental and applied aspects involved in the study of marine sources (new potential drugs, identification of metabolites or chemical entities, microorganisms, algae, water, etc.) and aims to contribute to highlighting recent findings and acquiring a comprehensive perspective on the current status of this research field. All article types are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Massimiliano Fenice
Dr. M. Amparo F. Faustino
Topic Editors