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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity and Functionality of Aquatic Ecosystems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2024) | Viewed by 12720

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ningdong Xie

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Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Interests: photosynthesis; microbial metabolism; carbon cycle; marine ecosystem; environmental microbiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Guangyi Wang

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Guest Editor

Center for Marine Environmental Ecology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Interests: marine microbial ecology; ocean carbon cycling; environmental monitoring and management; marine microalgae energy; synthetic biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Hongxia Ming

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National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian 116023, China
Interests: pathogenic microbiology; risk assessment; concentration prediction; enteric viruses; marine microbial ecology; microbial diversity; microbial source tracking

Dr. Qian Li

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Guest Editor

School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: marine microplankton ecology; food webs; trophodynamics; mixotrophic phytoplankton; predator-prey interactions; phytoplankton viruses

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine ecosystems represent the majority of habitable space on Earth, harbor great biodiversity, and play a fundamental role in global biogeochemical cycles and climate regulation. The current health of the ocean ecosystem has been challenged with increasing anthropogenic disturbance (e.g., CO₂ emission, pollution and overfishing) and climate change (e.g., global warming and extreme weathers). Consequentially, the ocean is experiencing rapid changes, including seawater temperature increases, sea-level rise, eutrophication/hypoxia and acidification. This Special Issue focuses on research advances in marine monitoring, assessment and protection that help us to understand the causes and impacts of, and solutions for, marine ecological changes and disasters. Through multidisciplinary research contributed by peers across the marine and environmental sciences, we aim to improve our understanding of fundamental science and practical tools needed to achieve a healthier relationship between humans and the ocean. This Special Issue welcomes a broad range of research types (original results, reviews and opinions/letters). The main interests and scope of this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following perspectives.

(1) Empirical study using field observations and experimental approaches to provide new insights into marine ecological structures, biodiversity, functions and processes in various marine environments;

(2) Model development, statistical and computational tools for a better understanding of the current and future oceans;

(3) Advanced techniques developed for short- and long-term marine ecosystems monitoring, assessment and protection;

(4) Proposed human interventions, ecological engineering tools and solutions to reduce ecological risks related to human impact and climate change in the ocean.

Dr. Ningdong Xie
Prof. Dr. Guangyi Wang
Prof. Dr. Hongxia Ming
Dr. Qian Li
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. Water 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 2600 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 ecosystem
monitoring
assessment
protection
biodiversity

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 2589 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Characteristics of Methylsiloxane Distribution in the Marine Surface Sediment, Masan Bay, Korea, in August 2018 and Suggesting Directions for Further Studies

by Huiho Jeong, Hyeonji Jung, Jonghyeok Lee and Hyeonseo Cho

Water 2024, 16(23), 3514; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16233514 - 6 Dec 2024

Viewed by 672

Abstract

The present study determined the distribution of fifteen methylsiloxane compounds (total methylsiloxanes, TMSs), including four cyclic (CMSs) and eleven linear (LMSs), in the marine surface sediment of Masan Bay, Korea, in 2018. The levels ranged from 76.6 to 2320 (median 264 ± 680), 5.00 to 3570 (median 359 ± 1310), and 81.6 to 5890 (median 607 ± 1940) ng/g-dw., in ΣCMSs, ΣLMSs, and ΣTMSs, respectively. The CMSs: LMSs ratio was 34:66, and the most dominant compound was D5 (27%), followed by L11 (22%) and L12 (20%). Principal component and cluster analyses categorized the ten sampling points into four groups based on the point sources: Group A (MS1) representing the industrial wastewater from the Changwon National Industrial complex; Group B (MS2) representing the ship movements; and Groups C (MS3, MS5, MS6, and MS7) and D (MS4, MS8, MS9, and MS10) representing the organic carbons. The present study hypothesized that the missing link between the methylsiloxane levels in 2013 and 2021 was due to the considerable industry recession in the bay. This was verified by positive correlations between the median ΣCMSs and the monthly production, the median ΣLMSs and ΣTMSs and the monthly employment in the complex. However, the hypothesis should be supplemented with the following perspectives: (1) selecting the sampling areas representing only the industrial wastewater, (2) considering the seasonal fluctuations, (3) estimating half-lives, and (4) investigating time series. This study is the first to link methylsiloxane levels and social issues in the bay, providing insights into illuminating the distribution characteristics of various pollutants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Ecological Monitoring, Assessment and Protection)

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17 pages, 3213 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Leachate Generated by Sargassum spp. in the Mexican Caribbean: Part 2, Mobility of Metals

by Rosa Maria Leal-Bautista, Juan Carlos Rodríguez-García, Rubi Chablé-Villacis, Gilberto Acosta-González, Jose Epigmenio Bautista-García, Raul Tapia-Tussell, Daniela Ortega-Camacho, Edgar Olguín-Maciel and Gloria González López

Water 2024, 16(19), 2719; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16192719 - 24 Sep 2024

Viewed by 772

Abstract

The spread of sargassum on beaches in Africa, Brazil, Central America, and the Caribbean has increased to become a social, environmental, and economic problem. In recent years, the presence of biomass on the coasts of the Mexican Caribbean has been recorded as ≈2360 m³ Km⁻¹, reaching up to 200 m wide in the northern part of the coasts. Its removal from the coast and, later, the continent is one of the strategies implemented to mitigate its impact on land. Several studies have reported the seasonality of and geographic variation in sorbed metals in sargasso. However, it is unknown whether these metals can mobilize or remain in sargassum tissue once they reach accumulation sites. This study included seawater, sargassum tissue as a consortium, and S. natans and S. fluitans, as well as the leachate generated in the process of degradation per se and percolated by rain. Of the 10 metals evaluated (As, B, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cd, Al, Ni, Cu, and Pb for water, tissue, and leachate), only B is recurrent in water from the north of the Mexican Caribbean, in addition to traces of Al and Fe. Meanwhile, in tissue, the results coincide with those of previous studies, where As is recurrent, although its concentration varies with the mentioned variability. The leachate showed that four to eight metals of those present in the tissue were detected, including As, Fe, and Al, which represent a potential impact on coastal systems and infiltration into shallow water table areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Ecological Monitoring, Assessment and Protection)

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25 pages, 1238 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Marine Pastures on Green Aquaculture in China

by Wei Wang, Wei Mao and Renhong Wu

Water 2024, 16(12), 1730; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16121730 - 18 Jun 2024

Viewed by 1094

Abstract

Under the double pressures of economic growth and ecological environment protection, sea green transformation and the sustainable development of mariculture are critical. This paper constructs an evolutionary game model with the government as the main body and mariculture farmers (enterprises) as the main body and puts forward the research hypothesis. Based on 2006–2019 longitudinal data of nine provinces along China’s coast, using multi-period Difference-in-Difference (DID) and dual robust estimation, we empirically investigate the national oceanic ranch demonstration zones for the influence of the green sea aquaculture and their mechanism of action. The results showed that (1) the efficiency of green level of mariculture industry in China is not high, and the establishment of national marine pasture demonstration zone has not effectively promoted the improvement of green level of mariculture industry; (2) the institutional environment, unreasonable industrial structure, and lack of scientific and technological innovation have an effect on the national oceanic ranch demonstration area as the main causes of failure to effectively promote marine green farming; (3) the establishment of the national multi-period demonstration area in the north significantly hindered the growth of the green level of mariculture and fell into the “policy trap”, while the establishment of the national multi-period demonstration area in the south significantly promoted the growth of the green level of mariculture. The conclusions of this paper provide an empirical basis and reference for the improvement of the national marine pasture demonstration zone policy and the green transformation of mariculture to a certain extent. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Ecological Monitoring, Assessment and Protection)

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19 pages, 3407 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Accumulation Patterns of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins, Dibenzofurans and Dioxin-like Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Sediments of the South-Eastern Baltic Sea

by Grażyna Dembska, Grażyna Pazikowska-Sapota, Katarzyna Galer-Tatarowicz, Agnieszka Flasińska, Sergej Suzdalev, Aleksandra Bojke, Maria Kubacka and Adam Grochowalski

Water 2024, 16(11), 1605; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16111605 - 4 Jun 2024

Viewed by 970

Abstract

The current research paper presents the results of the first regional assessment of sediment contamination by dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs)) in the south-eastern part of the Baltic Sea (Lithuanian and Polish marine areas) during the periods of 2014 and 2019–2020. In total, 143 surface and core sediment samples were taken of existing offshore dredged-soil-disposal sites in the area of the former shipyard in the Port of Gdynia (Poland), as well as in a profile from the nearshore to the deeps of the Gdansk basin, following the natural pattern of sediment migration in the region. The obtained results indicated wide variation in both the total content of the investigated compounds as well as the profiles of congeners, indicating the likely sources of their origin. Based on the obtained concentration characteristic profiles of the congeners, we determined the amount of dioxins and the likely sources of their origin in the Gdansk Basin. The profiles showed elevated contents of octa- and hepta-chlorodibenzodioxins (OCDD and HpCDD) in the sediments, while the fractions of most other toxic congeners were considerably lower. The domination of OCDF in the spectrum of the studied PCDFs suggests the possible contribution of industrial processes. The obtained results have filled the gaps in our knowledge while providing a perfect background for more detailed discussions concerning the accumulation of dioxins in surface sediments from the south-eastern part of the Baltic Sea. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Ecological Monitoring, Assessment and Protection)

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22 pages, 4551 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Leachate Generated by Sargassum spp. in the Mexican Caribe: Part 1 Spatial Variations

by Rosa Maria Leal-Bautista, Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Garcia, Gilberto Acosta-González, Rubi Chablé-Villacis, Raul Tapia-Tussell, Jose Epigmenio Bautista-García, Edgar Olguìn-Maciel, Liliana Alzate-Gaviria and Gloria González-López

Water 2024, 16(9), 1251; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16091251 - 27 Apr 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1267

Abstract

In this study, we evaluate the degradation by Sargassum spp. as a consortium in 2020 and 2021, and by species during 2021, collected at different distances from a coastline and in land deposits. The year 2021 had the largest leachate volume and the offshore site with the highest volume (60 mL/day) among five sites of collection. In relation to species’ leachate generation, S. fluitans reached 47.67 mL/day as its peak, which is earlier than S. natans (41.67 mL/day 14 days after S. fluitans). pH shows alkaline behavior and EC reflects the saline condition in the leachate, the consortium and species reaching values of pH 7.5 to 8.3 and 80 to 150 mS/cm of EC; the results do not show significant differences among sites, or between species. Despite a BOD/COD ratio of less than 0.1, the degradation process occurs as evidenced by the presence of leachate. The results confirm the existence of a variability in leachate production and the composition of Sargassum under the influence of factors such as the periodicity, site of collection, and proportions of species. Thus, even though these results emphasize leachate generation, knowing the limitations of leachate generation is crucial information for decision making on Sargassum storage and environmental management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Ecological Monitoring, Assessment and Protection)

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19 pages, 3658 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using the Heavy Metal and Biotic Indices to Assess Ecological Quality in the Central Area of the East Sea, South Korea

by Jian Liang, Chae-Woo Ma and Dae-Sun Son

Water 2024, 16(9), 1230; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16091230 - 25 Apr 2024

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1511

Abstract

With the rapid development of the South Korean economy, human activities have extensively affected Korea’s coastal environment. A precise ecological quality assessment remains paramount despite the relatively lower impact of human activities on the East Sea compared to the West and South Seas of South Korea. Accurate ecological quality assessments can provide valuable marine environmental protection and management references. In our study, we employed seven indices based on heavy metals and macrobenthos to comprehensively assess ecological quality. Our results indicated the final ecological quality in the central East Sea of South Korea was acceptable at most stations; however, the ecological quality in winter marginally falls short compared to that in spring. The concentration of heavy metals emerges as a significant determinant of the final ecological quality, underscoring the need for subsequent studies to investigate the origins of heavy metals in the central East Sea of South Korea and the influence of anthropogenic activities on heavy metal concentrations. Furthermore, employing a single biotic index proves challenging for accurately assessing ecological quality in the East Sea of South Korea. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Ecological Monitoring, Assessment and Protection)

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15 pages, 4085 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bacterial Communities in Zostera marina Seagrass Beds of Northern China

by Yong Zhang, Qiuzhen Wang, Yuan Yao, Faqi Tan, Lin Jiang, Weijie Shi, Wen Yang and Jiayi Liu

Water 2024, 16(7), 935; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16070935 - 23 Mar 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1723

Abstract

Microbial communities associated with seagrass beds play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of seagrass ecosystems. However, the driving mechanisms behind the structure and functional succession of seagrass microbial communities are still unclear despite the close interaction between seagrass and surrounding microorganisms. To enhance our knowledge of the diversity and functional characteristics of microbial communities in seagrass beds, we employed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to investigate bacterial communities in seagrass leaves, roots, seawater, and sediments in Caofeidian Zostera marina seagrass beds of Hebei Province, Northern China. Our results highlighted that specific types of bacteria were enriched in different sample compartments, indicating the importance of habitat in influencing microbial diversity and community structure in seagrass bed ecosystems. Notably, the microbial community structure of seagrass leaves and roots showed more similarity to that found in seawater and sediments. Among all the samples, the phylum Pseudomonadota exhibited the highest relative abundance, particularly in sediment samples where they accounted for over 95% of the total bacterial population. In addition, the enrichment of Vibrio, an opportunistic pathogen in several plant samples, alerted us to seagrass and its surrounding marine environments. Finally, functional predictions of microbial communities using PICRUSt2 revealed variations in microbial functions, indicating specific metabolic preferences of microbial communities in different natural environments. The present research sheds light on the mechanisms underlying microbial community succession and their ecological function in seagrass beds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Ecological Monitoring, Assessment and Protection)

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Review

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12 pages, 276 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review of Seagrass Bed Pollution

by Yong Zhang, Xinping Yu, Zuoyi Chen, Qiuzhen Wang, Jiulong Zuo, Shanshan Yu and Ran Guo

Water 2023, 15(21), 3754; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15213754 - 27 Oct 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3530

Abstract

Due to climate change and human activities, seagrass is in crisis as the coverage of seagrass declines at an accelerated rate globally. In this paper, the severe challenges of seagrass ecosystem were briefly reviewed, including adverse effects of natural factors and human activities on seagrass beds. The research status of pollutants and pollution in seagrass bed ecosystem was reviewed, the future research directions in related fields were proposed as well. The eutrophication in coastal waters and discharge of pollutants such as sulfide, heavy metals, organic matter and microplastics caused by human activities are important reasons for seagrass loss. In addition, environmental stressors lead to reduced immunity and decreased resistance of seagrass to various pathogens, leading to seagrass wasting diseases. Future studies concerning the influence of novel pollutants, i.e., plastic waste on non-native algae, microorganisms and seagrasses, as well as their interrelationships, will be of vital importance. In addition, researches on seagrass wasting diseases and their pathogens should be much accounted in China, to fill in gaps in related fields and improve the response ability to emergent seagrass diseases. In conclusion, this review was proposed to arouse the concern about the seagrass bed pollution, and provide possible enlightening information for the protection and restoration of this significant ecosystem. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Ecological Monitoring, Assessment and Protection)

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