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Phytoplankton and Phytobenthos: From Freshwater to Marine Ecosystems
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Phytoplankton and Phytobenthos: From Freshwater to Marine Ecosystems

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 (31 August 2022) | Viewed by 17319

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Agnieszka Napiórkowska-Krzebietke

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ichthyology, Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecology, Stanislaw Sakowicz Inland Fisheries Institute, Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: phytoplankton; cyanobacteria; bloom intensity; biodiversity; ecology; freshwater ecosystems; indicators; biosorption; ecological status; trophy state
Dr. Justyna Kobos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University of Gdańsk, Department of Marine Biotechnology, Gdańsk, Poland
Interests: phytoplankton; heterocystous cyanobacteria; harmful algae blooms; dinoflagellates; cysts
Dr. Aleksandra Zgrundo

E-Mail
Guest Editor
University of Gdańsk, Poland Institute of Oceanography, Department of Marine Ecosystems Functioning Al. Piłsudskiego 46, 81-378 Gdynia
Interests: diatoms; microphytobenthos; macrophytobenthos; marine ecology; biodiversity; biological indicators; ecological assessment of aquatic environments; periphyton

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Although water is the dominant environment on the Earth and the life forms evolved in water, we still know surprisingly little about this realm, especially aquatic plants. Plants which we define as aquatic photosynthesizing micro- and macroorganisms, including cyanobacteria, are responsible for primary production. The exploration of the diversity of aquatic environments and organisms that inhabit them is a priority requirement to understand the nature and redefine our relationship in order to protect the Earth resources threatened by our use or to make a wise use. It is of high importance in a world under human pressures such as climate change, habitat loss, pollution, intentional and unintentional introductions, etc.

The rationale of this Special Issue is to collect papers that refer to plant life in fresh- and marine waters. We are especially seeking articles that present how phytoplankton and phytobenthos organisms, populations, and communities interact with their environment, including both field and laboratory experiments. Potential research topics include aquatic plants adaptations and reactions towards stress conditions, diversity at various levels (e.g., molecular, population, community, ecosystem), analyses of spatiotemporal changes in populations’ structure and distribution, production of biologically active compounds and biosorption, blooms, and invasive species.

Dr. Agnieszka Napiórkowska-Krzebietke
Dr. Justyna Kobos
Dr. Aleksandra Zgrundo
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

  • Aquatic plants ecology
  • Biodiversity
  • Biofilm
  • Bioindication and biotechnology
  • Biologically active compounds
  • Biosorption
  • Blooms
  • Human pressures
  • Life adaptation
  • Molecular studies

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3596 KiB  
Communication
Gone and Back—The Anthropogenic History of Coccotylus brodiei (Turner) Kützing and Furcellaria lumbricalis (Hudson) J.V. Lamouroux in the Gulf of Gdańsk (Southern Baltic Sea)
by Aleksandra Zgrundo and Ilona Złoch
Water 2022, 14(14), 2181; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14142181 - 10 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2209
Abstract
The Gulf of Gdańsk environment has supported the development and growth of the local community for centuries but has been significantly degraded as a result of the progressive eutrophication process that started in 1960, the extensive exploitation of marketable species (plants and fish) [...] Read more.
The Gulf of Gdańsk environment has supported the development and growth of the local community for centuries but has been significantly degraded as a result of the progressive eutrophication process that started in 1960, the extensive exploitation of marketable species (plants and fish) and pollution limiting the growth of marine organisms. Multistressors of the Anthropocene era have left their mark on all aspects of the ecosystem, but despite this, the gulf region has been considered to have exceptional environmental value and high biodiversity in comparison with adjacent regions. In 2004, a Natura 2000 site was created in the eastern part known as Puck Bay, and actions were taken to protect endangered habitats and species. Between 2019 and 2020, intensive field studies were conducted in Puck Bay on flora to assess biodiversity and habitat resources. The material was collected for qualitative and quantitative analysis. This allowed observation of species that have not been reported since the 1970s, i.e., Coccotylus brodiei (Turner) Kützing and Furcellaria lumbricalis (Hudson) J.V. Lamouroux. Both species co-occurred as in the period before the 1960s in the form of free-floating thalli. The rediscovery of these taxa suggests that despite very unfavourable conditions for their development due to anthropogenic pressures, they were able to survive, and their occurrence throughout Puck Bay indicates improvement in environmental quality due to declining human impact. Our results indicate that benthic algal communities have high regeneration potential, but in the case of severe environmental degradation caused by synergistic pressures of high intensity, plant recovery without measures to support remediation takes at least 30 years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytoplankton and Phytobenthos: From Freshwater to Marine Ecosystems)
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17 pages, 3495 KiB  
Article
Epiphyton in Agricultural Streams: Structural Control and Comparison to Epilithon
by Lishani Wijewardene, Naicheng Wu, Pau Giménez-Grau, Cecilie Holmboe, Nicola Fohrer, Annette Baattrup-Pedersen and Tenna Riis
Water 2021, 13(23), 3443; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13233443 - 4 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2844
Abstract
Stream biofilms play an important role in the structure, functioning, and integrity of agricultural streams. In many lowland streams, macrophyte vegetation is abundant and functions as an important substrate for biofilm (epiphyton) in addition to the gravel and stone substrate for epilithon on [...] Read more.
Stream biofilms play an important role in the structure, functioning, and integrity of agricultural streams. In many lowland streams, macrophyte vegetation is abundant and functions as an important substrate for biofilm (epiphyton) in addition to the gravel and stone substrate for epilithon on the stream bed. We expect that reach-scale habitat conditions in streams (e.g., nutrient availability, hydraulic conditions) affect the epiphyton and epilithon biomass and composition, and that this effect will be substrate-specific (macrophytes and stones). The objectives of our study were (i) to describe concurrent changes in epiphyton and epilithon biomass and composition over a year in agricultural streams, and (ii) to determine the substrate specific reach-scale habitat drivers for the epiphyton and epilithon structure. We monitored epiphyton and epilithon biofilm biomass and composition at three-week intervals and reach-scale environmental conditions daily during a year for two agricultural steams. The results showed that epiphyton and epilithon communities differed in biomass, having high substrate specific biomass in epilithon compared to epiphyton. Epiphyton was mainly composed of diatom and green algae, while cyanobacteria were more important in epilithon, and the diatom species composition varied between the two biofilm types. Epiphyton structural properties were less influenced by reach-scale hydrology and nutrient availability compared to epilithon. The overall explanatory power of the measured environmental variables was low, probably due to micro-scale habitat effects and interactive processes within stream biofilms. Knowledge of biofilm control in agricultural streams is important in order to improve management strategies, and future studies should improve the understanding of micro-scale habitat conditions, interactive relationships within biofilms and between the biofilm and the substrates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytoplankton and Phytobenthos: From Freshwater to Marine Ecosystems)
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13 pages, 2120 KiB  
Article
Phytoplankton Growth Rate and Microzooplankton Grazing under Conditions of Climatic Changes and Anthropogenic Pollution in the Coastal Waters of the Black Sea (Sevastopol Region)
by Lyudmyla Stelmakh and Nelya Kovrigina
Water 2021, 13(22), 3230; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223230 - 14 Nov 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2706
Abstract
In the coastal waters of the Black Sea near Sevastopol, a gradual temperature elevation and an increase in anthropogenic pressure since the early 2000s have caused significant structural and functional changes in phytoplankton. Currently, there is a significant decrease in the contribution of [...] Read more.
In the coastal waters of the Black Sea near Sevastopol, a gradual temperature elevation and an increase in anthropogenic pressure since the early 2000s have caused significant structural and functional changes in phytoplankton. Currently, there is a significant decrease in the contribution of small diatom species (Skeletonema sp. and Chaetoceros socialis H.S.Lauder as well as coccolithophorids Emiliania huxleyi (Lohmann) W.W.Hay and H.P.Mohler) to the total phytoplankton biomass in these waters. Previously these species caused regular weak blooms. In the warm periods (from May to October), during which the main phytoplankton biomass is formed, large diatom species Pseudosolenia calcar-avis (Schultze) B.G.Sundström, 1986, Proboscia alata (Brightwell) Sundström and dinoflagellates predominate. Therefore, the maximum values of the phytoplankton community’s specific growth rate are about two times lower than in the preceding periods and do not exceed 1.10–1.40 day−1. There was also a decrease observed in the microzooplankton grazing rate, which, during the year, was no higher than 0.70–1.20 day−1. This is primarily conditioned by the increased role of large algae in phytoplankton, which means a decline in nutrition quality for microzooplankton. As a result of the joint influence of nutrition quality and water pollution, the relative share of net primary production consumed by microzooplankton in the warm periods of the year averaged only 32%, which is two times lower than the average values generally accepted for marine ecosystems. This means that the transfer of matter and energy from phytoplankton to higher trophic levels is significantly decreased. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytoplankton and Phytobenthos: From Freshwater to Marine Ecosystems)
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26 pages, 3807 KiB  
Article
Comprehensive Insight into Lake Nasser Environment: Water Quality and Biotic Communities—A Case Study before Operating the Renaissance Dam
by Mohamed E. Goher, Agnieszka Napiórkowska-Krzebietke, Walid Aly, Seliem M. El-Sayed, Usama M. Tahoun, Mohamed A. Fetouh, Mahmoud H. Hegab, Amany M. Haroon, Soaad A. Sabae, Eman I. Abdel-Aal, Marian G. Nassif and Abd Ellatif M. Hussian
Water 2021, 13(16), 2195; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13162195 - 11 Aug 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4382
Abstract
This study focused on the monitoring and assessment of aquatic ecosystem functioning based on the abiotic and biotic features of Lake Nasser in the post-flood and pre-flood periods as the last ones before water storing behind the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The physicochemical [...] Read more.
This study focused on the monitoring and assessment of aquatic ecosystem functioning based on the abiotic and biotic features of Lake Nasser in the post-flood and pre-flood periods as the last ones before water storing behind the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The physicochemical parameters, distribution and structure of biotic communities, including bacteria, phytoplankton, zooplankton, macrophytes, epiphytes and fish were analyzed at 15 sites. The values of most parameters (primarily temperature, total suspended solids, pH, orthophosphates, carbonates, sulphates and some cations) were higher in the pre-flood period, whereas higher values of conductivity, total dissolved solids, total solids, nitrites, nitrates, chemical oxygen demand, bicarbonates and chlorophyll a were recorded in the post-flood period. Cyanobacteria-dominated phytoplankton and total coliform bacteria were more abundant in the pre-flood period, and especially at sites 10–15, whereas higher abundances of zooplankton were recorded in the post-flood period. All these changes in parameters were significantly differentiated, and only the concentrations of dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, ammonium and silicates were at similar level in both periods. The study also indicated that environmental factors had affected the macrophyte distribution and the adaptation of the invasive species Myriophyllum spicatum to thrive under different environmental factors in the lake. Besides, macrophytes provided the habitat to other aquatic organisms, especially epiphytes, and also helped maintaining the good water quality, nutrient cycling and stabilizing rivers’ and lakes’ banks. Generally, these conditions were rather favorable for biological processes and fish production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytoplankton and Phytobenthos: From Freshwater to Marine Ecosystems)
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19 pages, 3184 KiB  
Article
Cyanobacterial Blooms and Zooplankton Structure in Lake Ecosystem under Limited Human Impact
by Agnieszka Napiórkowska-Krzebietke, Krystyna Kalinowska, Elżbieta Bogacka-Kapusta, Konrad Stawecki and Piotr Traczuk
Water 2020, 12(5), 1252; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12051252 - 28 Apr 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3134
Abstract
Cyanobacterial blooms are tightly related to increasing trophic conditions of lakes and climate warming. Abiotic and biotic parameters were studied in a shallow lake, in which the island with the largest cormorants colony in north-eastern Poland is situated. We hypothesized that the strongest [...] Read more.
Cyanobacterial blooms are tightly related to increasing trophic conditions of lakes and climate warming. Abiotic and biotic parameters were studied in a shallow lake, in which the island with the largest cormorants colony in north-eastern Poland is situated. We hypothesized that the strongest cyanobacterial blooms will persist near the cormorant’s island and will decrease with an increasing distance from it. Filamentous cyanobacteria (Pseudanabaena, Planktolyngbya, Limnothrix, Planktothrix) were the main phytoplankton components during summer and autumn. Their strongest blooms (up to 66 mg L−1) were recorded near the roosting area. The content of nutrients and chlorophyll a, and the biomass of phytoplankton (primarily cyanobacteria) and zooplankton, decreased gradually with the increasing distance from the island. The changes from hypertrophic to eutrophic conditions were confirmed by a decrease in values of the trophic state index from 72 (site 1) to 58 (site 5). This all suggests that cormorants might have a significant impact on the deterioration of water quality (at distance to 1.6 km) and can contribute to faster water eutrophication. Our results suggest that protection of breeding sites for many waterbirds, such as cormorants, becomes a real threat for the functioning of aquatic ecosystems due to a large load of nutrients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytoplankton and Phytobenthos: From Freshwater to Marine Ecosystems)
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