The Response of Microalgae and Plankton to Climate Change and Human Activities

About this Research Topic

Background

The majority of global seafood production and mariculture activities take place in marine coastal water bodies, especially in areas of high primary productivity (from microalgae and plankton). This productivity sustains many forms of ecosystem services and promotes carbon dioxide absorption. However, climate change (ocean warming, acidification, oxygen loss, etc.) and anthropogenic disturbances (nutrients intrusion, aquaculture) have influenced the microalgae/plankton community assemblage and shifted it into a highly productive zone, causing a severe impact on the marine ecosystem, such as an increase in Harmful Algal Blooms, dead zone expansions, and coral-algal phase shifts. So far, there is still little knowledge on the mechanisms of microalgae/plankton community response to these changing environmental conditions. Harmful microalgae impair the marine ecosystem through the production of the so-called shellfish toxins, which cause shellfish contamination and poisoning to the vertebrates, including humans. In addition, some microalgae produce fish-killing toxins (ichthyotoxins), causing increasing damage to marine aquaculture. Besides that, the high productivity/bloom of microalgae in the water due to coastal eutrophication from anthropogenic activities is known to induce hypoxic-anoxic conditions causing a severe economic impact on aquaculture.

This research topic aims to promote knowledge of harmful microalgae and plankton, including cyanobacteria, in the past, present, and future in response to climate change and human activities. Manuscripts dealing with the following aspects are welcome:

• Aquacultural effects, aquatic food safety, and public health of harmful microalgal bloom events.
• Diversity of microalgae in response to climate change and human activities.
• Diversity of microalgal community associated with bacteria and predator-prey factors.
• Factors controlling toxin production, biosynthesis, and chemical ecology.
• Monitoring, management, and control of harmful microalgae in the changing environment.
• Metabarcoding, metatranscriptomic, transcriptomic, metaproteomic, and proteomic studies of HAB.
• Microalgal and bacterial communities associated with coral building blocks, coralline crustose algae.
• Occurrence, distribution, life histories, and physiology of microalgae in response to changing environmental conditions.
• Occurrence, transmission, enrichment, and evolution of phytotoxins in harmful microalgae, food chains, and environment.
• Predictions on the shifts in the distribution range of harmful microalgae under climate change and human activities.
• The physiological and biochemical responses of HAB microalgae to eutrophication, stratification, warming, and ocean acidification.

Keywords: harmful microalgae, climate change, human activities, microalgae diversity, Omics, biodiversity, plankton

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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