Intertidal Macroalgae Research Articles

Abscisic acid activates desiccation tolerance responses in intertidal seaweed Neoporphyra haitanensis

Intertidal macroalgae have adapted to deal with environmental stresses, in particular desiccation. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in the regulation of a suite of critical responses in plants, including desiccation tolerance. The red alga Neoporphyra haitanensis contains a high level of ABA, but its mechanism of action in N. haitanensis is unknown. In this study, the effect of ABA treatment on the relative water content of thalli during the dehydration-rehydration cycle was evaluated and it was identified that ABA treatment resulted in decreased thalli water loss and an accelerated rehydration process. The effects of addition of ABA upon the activation of antioxidant responses, photosynthetic parameters and gene transcription profiles of N. haitanensis were also evaluated. The results revealed that exogenous ABA regulated the activation of the antioxidant system, including by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes, increasing the concentrations of ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH), as well as upregulating the expression of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes and enzymes that synthesize AsA and GSH. ABA treatment also inhibited photosynthesis by reducing light capture and down-regulating the Calvin cycle to save energy; ABA supplementation further simultaneously activated repair mechanisms to avoid excessive DNA and protein damage. The results presented herein demonstrate that ABA plays a crucial role in the regulation of stress tolerance in seaweeds, which may be of great importance when examining the adaptation of this organism to the intertidal environment.

The differing responses of central carbon cycle metabolism in male and female Sargassum thunbergii to ultraviolet-B radiation.

The enhancement of ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) radiation reaching the Earth’s surface due to ozone layer depletion is an important topic. Macroalgal species growing in the intertidal zone are often directly exposed to UV-B radiation periodically as the tide changes. In order to better understand the response of macroalgae to UV-B stressed condition, we studied the dominant dioecious intertidal macroalgae Sargassum thunbergii. After consecutive UV-B radiation treatments, we used metabonomics models to analyze and compare the maximum photosynthetic electron transport rate (ETRmax), central carbon cycle metabolism (CCCM) gene expression level, CCCM enzymic activities [pyruvate dehydrogenase and citrate synthase (PDH and CS)], and carbon-based metabolite (including pyruvate, soluble sugar, total amino acid, and lipids) content in male and female S. thunbergii. The results showed that under low and high UV-B radiation, the ETRmax values and six targeted CCCM gene expression levels were significantly higher in males than in females. Under high UV-B radiation, only the CS activity was significantly higher in males than in females. There was no significant difference in PDH activity between males and females. The CCCM models constructed using the metabonomics analysis demonstrate that S. thunbergii males and females exhibit obvious gender differences in their responses to UV-B radiation, providing us with a new understanding of the macroalgal gender differences under UV-B radiation, as past investigations always underestimated their diecious characteristics.

Effects of Water Loss Stress under Tidal Effects on the Epiphytic Bacterial Community of Sargassum thunbergii in the Intertidal Zone.

ABSTRACTIntertidal macroalgae face periodic water loss and rehydration caused by daily tidal changes. However, the effect of water loss stress on algal epiphytic bacteria has not yet been reported. In this study, the effects of water loss stress on the epiphytic bacteria community of Sargassum thunbergii were analyzed, and the different responses of epiphytic bacteria to water loss stress were compared between male and female algae. The results showed that after water loss stress, the diversity of the epiphytic bacterial community of S. thunbergii first decreased and then increased. Among the dominant taxa, the abundance of Cyanobacteria decreased significantly, whereas the abundance of Portibacter and Aquimarina first increased and then decreased. Additionally, the indicator species and the abundance of predicted functional genes related to carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur metabolism both changed significantly. More importantly, when the epiphytic bacteria were analyzed separately according to the algal sex, the changes in algal epiphytic bacterial community structure and indicator species were more significant, and there were sexual differences. Therefore, it was concluded that water loss stress has a significant effect on the community structure and function of the epiphytic bacteria on S. thunbergii. Meanwhile, the epiphytic bacteria community of two sexes of S. thunbergii differed in the response to water loss stress.IMPORTANCE Periodic water loss caused by the tide is an important environmental factor that is faced by intertidal macroalgae, but the impact of periodic water loss on the epiphytic bacterial communities associated with macroalgae is still unknown. Through this study, we found that the diversity, the relative abundance of dominant taxa, the indicator species, and the abundance of the predicted functional genes in the epiphytic bacteria on S. thunbergii changed with the time of water loss. Moreover, male and female S. thunbergii exhibited different responses to water loss stress. This study not only paves the way for the delineation of the interactions between S. thunbergii and its epiphytic bacteria but also provides new insights for the mechanisms of the adaptation and evolution of macroalgae in the intertidal zone.

The relative effects of interspecific and intraspecific diversity on microplastic trapping in coastal biogenic habitats

Our understanding of how anthropogenic stressors such as climate change and plastic pollution interact with biodiversity is being widened to include diversity below the species level, i.e., intraspecific variation. The emerging appreciation of the key ecological importance of intraspecific diversity and its potential loss in the Anthropocene, further highlights the need to assess the relative importance of intraspecific versus interspecific diversity. One such issue is whether a species responds as a homogenous whole to plastic pollution. Using manipulative field transplant experiments and laboratory-controlled hydrodynamic simulations, we assessed the relative effects of intraspecific and interspecific diversity on microplastic trapping in coastal biogenic habitats dominated by two key bioengineers, the brown intertidal macroalgae Fucus vesiculosus and F. guiryi. At the individual level, northern morphotypes of F. guiryi trapped more microplastics than southern individuals, and F. vesiculosus trapped more microplastics than F. guiryi. Canopy density varied among species, however, leading to reversed patterns of microplastic accumulation, with F. guiryi canopies accumulating more microplastics than those of F. vesiculosus, while no differences were observed between the canopies of F. guiryi morphotypes. We emphasize the importance of assessing the effects of intraspecific variation which, along with other crucial factors such as canopy density, flow velocity and polymer composition, modulates the extent of microplastic accumulation in coastal biogenic habitats. Our findings indicate that a realistic estimation of plastic accumulation in biogenic habitats requires an understanding of within- and between-species traits at both the individual and population levels.

Sex plays a role in the construction of epiphytic bacterial communities on the algal bodies and receptacles of Sargassum thunbergii.

The community structures of epiphytic bacteria on the surface of macroalgae are closely related to their host algae, but there is a lack of research on the differences between the epiphytic bacterial communities of male and female algae and their reproductive tissues. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was used to compare epiphytic bacterial community structures on the intertidal macroalgae Sargassum thunbergii and their receptacles between male and female samples. The epiphytic bacteria on the male and female algal bodies and receptacles had similar community structures with a large number of shared bacteria, but the samples clearly clustered separately, and the abundances of dominant taxa, specific bacteria, and indicator species differed, indicating that epiphytic bacterial communities differed significantly between the male and female S. thunbergii and their receptacles. In addition, the abundance of many predicted functional genes was significantly different between epiphytic bacteria on male and female algal bodies and receptacles, especially metabolism-related genes, and the abundances of predicted functional genes of epiphytic bacteria were significantly higher on both types of male samples than on female samples. Our study confirmed that the sex of the host algae influenced the epiphytic bacterial community structures on algae and algal reproductive tissues, and this role was mainly related to the host metabolism. The results reveal the role of host plant sex in the formation of epiphytic bacterial communities. These findings are helpful for obtaining an in-depth understanding of the construction mechanism of algae-associated bacteria.

Effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on photosynthetic performance and non-photochemical quenching process of intertidal red macroalgae Neoporphyra haitanensis

The effects of enhanced ultraviolet-B (UV-B, 280–320 nm) radiation reaching the Earth’s surface has become an important issue in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Living in the land–marine boundary, intertidal macroalgae have various adaptive strategies to resist drastic environmental changes. In this study, we investigated the effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on the photosynthetic performance and photoprotective mechanisms of the red macroalgae Neoporphyra haitanensis . Our results showed that increasing UV-B radiation inhibited growth, damaged chloroplast structures and photosynthetic pigments, and reduced PSII activity and recovery ability in N. haitanensis . UV-B radiation significantly increased non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), indicating that NPQ is an effective photoprotection strategy in N. haitanensis . The transthylakoid proton gradient (ΔpH) uncoupler ammonium chloride (NH 4 Cl) significantly inhibited NPQ induction, showing that the induction of NPQ in N. haitanensis was dependent on ΔpH. Furthermore, violaxanthin and antheraxanthin, essential components of the xanthophyll cycle for modulating NPQ, were not detected in N. haitanensis , indicating the absence of the xanthophyll cycle in N. haitanensis . However, the increased NPQ under UV-B radiation was still associated with the accumulation of zeaxanthin. These findings will be useful for revealing adaptive strategies of intertidal macroalgae to cope with increasing UV-B radiation in the future. • Enhanced UV-B radiation significantly reduces photosynthetic performance of N. haitanensis. • NPQ can be used as effective strategy for photoprotection of N. haitanensis to resist UV-B radiation. • Although xanthophyll cycle is absent in N. haitanensis , NPQ is still regulated by the accumulation of zeaxanthin.

Microbiomes of microscopic marine invertebrates do not reveal signatures of phylosymbiosis.

Animals and microorganisms often establish close ecological relationships. However, much of our knowledge about animal microbiomes comes from two deeply studied groups: vertebrates and arthropods. To understand interactions on a broader scale of diversity, we characterized the bacterial microbiomes of close to 1,000 microscopic marine invertebrates from 21 phyla, spanning most of the remaining tree of metazoans. Samples were collected from five temperate and tropical locations covering three marine habitats (sediment, water column and intertidal macroalgae) and bacterial microbiomes were characterized using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Our data show that, despite their size, these animals harbour bacterial communities that differ from those in the surrounding environment. Distantly related but coexisting invertebrates tend to share many of the same bacteria, suggesting that guilds of microorganisms preferentially associated with animals, but not tied to any specific host lineage, are the main drivers of the ecological relationship. Host identity is a minor factor shaping these microbiomes, which do not show the same correlation with host phylogeny, or 'phylosymbiosis', observed in many large animals. Hence, the current debate on the varying strength of phylosymbiosis within selected lineages should be reframed to account for the possibility that such a pattern might be the exception rather than the rule.

Physiological characterisation of the calcified alga Corallina officinalis (Rhodophyta) from the leading to trailing edge in the Northeast Atlantic

Intertidal macroalgae are exposed to many biotic and abiotic stressors, including significant fluctuations in environmental parameters such as salinity, temperature, pH and solar radiation. This study characterized populations of the intertidal calcifying red alga Corallina officinalis across its geographic distribution in the North-east Atlantic. Processes examined included primary production, respiration, light and dark calcification, photosynthesis-irradiance, and calcification-irradiance evolution. Results confirmed significant differences in the physiology of C. officinalis between latitudes with a clear north-to-south gradient. Compared with central and southern populations of this species, northern populations appeared to be the most robust, showing potential for local physiological adaptation in response to increased variability in environmental factors present within their habitat. Conversely, southern populations displayed a distinct lack of local adaptation compared with northern populations. This is possibly due to southern populations being located within an environment at the upper limit of their stress tolerance, therefore restricting the species’ ability to adapt. As a result, future permanent decline, or even disappearance, of C. officinalis within southern locations of the North-east Atlantic could occur, a process that is likely to be accelerated by predicted future climatic changes. Furthermore, given the essential role these ecosystem engineers play within their habitat, any loss of C. officinalis is also expected to have a strongly negative impact on the surrounding environment. HIGHLIGHTS Decoupled photosynthesis and calcification in Corallina. officinalis show complex relationships, not direct dependencies. Most physiological characteristics in northern C. officinalis populations differ significantly from those in central and southern locations. Species adaptation is predominantly to lower light and temperature conditions.

Fine-scale abundance of rocky shore macroalgae species with distribution limits in NW Iberia in 2020/2021.

BackgroundClimate change has been increasing at an unprecedented rate in the last decades. Global warming has been causing a variety of impacts in marine ecosystems, including shifts in the geographical ranges of species. The north-western Iberian Peninsula coast is particularly interesting to study distribution shifts as it features a strong latitude thermal gradient, establishing a biogeographical transitional region where several cold- and warm-adapted species have their equatorward or poleward distributions. In the early 2000s, it appeared that, while warm-water species were already responding to warming, cold-water species did not display a coherent response. It is now necessary to gather up-to-date data on the distribution of the same group of species to understand if current patterns of change confirm or deny those observed back then, which may give us important clues about the mechanisms setting species limits in the area.New informationThis study provides a fine-scale description of the occurrence of intertidal macroalgae species in the rocky shores of the north-western Iberian coast. Specifically, the spatial distribution and semi-quantitative abundance of 34 native and invasive species were assessed at 70 wave-exposed locations. This included 19 species of cold-water affinity, 10 species of warm-water affinity and five neutral species. When contrasted with historical observations, these new data can be used to quantify and map biodiversity change in the region, as well as help understanding the mechanisms constraining species distributions.

Fungal endophytes vary by species, tissue type, and life cycle stage in intertidal macroalgae.

Fungal symbionts of terrestrial plants are among the most widespread and well-studied symbioses, relatively little is known about fungi that are associated with macroalgae. To fill the gap in marine fungal taxonomy, we combined simple culture methods with amplicon sequencing to characterize the fungal communities associated with three brown (Sargassum muticum, Pelvetia canaliculata, and Himanthalia elongata) and two red (Mastocarpus stellatus and Chondrus crispus) macroalgae from one intertidal zone. In addition to characterizing novel fungal diversity, we tested three hypotheses: fungal diversity and community composition vary (i) among species distributed at different tidal heights, (ii) among tissue types (apices, mid-thallus, and stipe), and (iii) among "isomorphic" C. crispus life cycle stages. Almost 70% of our reads were classified as Ascomycota, 29% as Basidiomycota, and 1% that could not be classified to a phylum. Thirty fungal isolates were obtained, 18 of which were also detected with amplicon sequencing. Fungal communities differed by host and tissue type. Interestingly, P. canaliculata, a fucoid at the extreme high intertidal, did not show differences in fungal diversity across the thallus. As found in filamentous algal endophytes, fungal diversity varied among the three life cycle stages in C. crispus. Female gametophytes were alsocompositionally more dispersed as compared tothe fewer variable tetrasporophytes and male gametophytes. We demonstrate the utility of combining relatively simple cultivation and sequencing approaches to characterize and study macroalgal-fungal associations and highlight the need to understand the role of fungi in near-shore marine ecosystems.

Concordant phylogeographic responses to large-scale coastal disturbance in intertidal macroalgae and their epibiota.

Major ecological disturbance events can provide opportunities to assess multispecies responses to upheaval. In particular, catastrophic disturbances that regionally extirpate habitat-forming species can potentially influence the genetic diversity of large numbers of codistributed taxa. However, due to the rarity of such disturbance events over ecological timeframes, the genetic dynamics of multispecies recolonization processes have remained little understood. Here, we use single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data from multiple coastal species to track the dynamics of cocolonization events in response to ancient earthquake disturbance in southern New Zealand. Specifically, we use a comparative phylogeographic approach to understand the extent to which epifauna (with varying ecological associations with their macroalgal hosts) share comparable spatial and temporal recolonization patterns. Our study reveals concordant disturbance-related phylogeographic breaks in two intertidal macroalgal species along with two associated epibiotic species (a chiton and an isopod). By contrast, two codistributed species, one of which is an epibiotic amphipod and the other a subtidal macroalga, show few, if any, genetic effects of palaeoseismic coastal uplift. Phylogeographic model selection reveals similar post-uplift recolonization routes for the epibiotic chiton and isopod and their macroalgal hosts. Additionally, codemographic analyses support synchronous population expansions of these four phylogeographically similar taxa. Our findings indicate that coastal paleoseismic activity has driven concordant impacts on multiple codistributed species, with concerted recolonization events probably facilitated by macroalgal rafting. These results highlight that high-resolution comparative genomic data can help reconstruct concerted multispecies responses to recent ecological disturbance.

Polyketide-derived macrobrevins from marine macroalga-associated Bacillus amyloliquefaciens as promising antibacterial agents against pathogens causing nosocomial infections

Marine heterotrophs are treasured bio-resources of antimicrobial metabolites, and herein we report the biosynthetic potential of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (ex. Fukumoto) Priest et al. (Bacillaceae) strain MTCC 12713 isolated from an intertidal macroalga Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) L.M.Liao (Rhodophyta: Solieriaceae). The bacterium showed promising biological activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis. Genome mining of B. amyloliquefaciens MTCC 12713 predicted the gene clusters coding for biosynthesis of antibacterial metabolites. Bioactivity-guided purification was directed to isolate four homologous members of trans-acyltransferase polyketide synthase-derived antibiotics, which were classified as macrobrevin analogues. The compounds exhibited antibacterial activities against nosocomial pathogens, for example, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with a range of MIC values from 1.56 to 6.25 μg/mL, although standard antibiotic chloramphenicol was active at 6.25–12.5 μg/mL. Conspicuously, the macrobrevin compound encompassing hexahydro-41-hydroxy-macrobrevin-31-acetate functionality, displayed considerably greater antagonistic activities against methicillin-resistant S. aureus, vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, and Streptococcus pyogenes (MIC 1.56 μg/mL) compared to the positive controls and other macrobrevin analogues. Trans-AT polyketide synthase-stimulated biosynthetic pathway of macrobrevin compounds, through repetitive decarboxylative Claisen condensation between acetyl-S-KS domain and malonate-S-ACP units could corroborate the structural elucidation. In the genome mining study, among the 34 biosynthetic gene clusters, a hybrid trans-acyltransferase (trans-AT) pks/nrps gene cluster, which extends up to ∼81 Kb, was recognized in the genome of B. amyloliquefaciens MTCC 12713. The pks/nrps cluster revealed 46% similarity to trans-AT PKS-derived macrobrevin isolated from a mesophilic bacterium Brevibacillus sp. Leaf182 associated with the phyllosphere of the wild-type genotype of Arabidopsis thaliana. The binding positions for macrobrevins with S. aureus peptide deformylase showed docking score of larger than 14 kcal/mol, which was considerably greater than macrolactin N and actinonin (<10 kcal/mol). These present findings documented that the marine heterotrophic B. amyloliquefaciens MTCC 12713 could be used to develop prospective antibacterial agents belonging to macrobrevin analogues for biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications.

Increased CO2 Relevant to Future Ocean Acidification Alleviates the Sensitivity of a Red Macroalgae to Solar Ultraviolet Irradiance by Modulating the Synergy Between Photosystems II and I.

While intertidal macroalgae are exposed to drastic changes in solar photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) during a diel cycle, and to ocean acidification (OA) associated with increasing CO2 levels, little is known about their photosynthetic performance under the combined influences of these drivers. In this work, we examined the photoprotective strategies controlling electron flow through photosystems II (PSII) and photosystem I (PSI) in response to solar radiation with or without UVR and an elevated CO2 concentration in the intertidal, commercially important, red macroalgae Pyropia (previously Porphyra) yezoensis. By using chlorophyll fluorescence techniques, we found that high levels of PAR alone induced photoinhibition of the inter-photosystem electron transport carriers, as evidenced by the increase of chlorophyll fluorescence in both the J- and I-steps of Kautsky curves. In the presence of UVR, photoinduced inhibition was mainly identified in the O2-evolving complex (OEC) and PSII, as evidenced by a significant increase in the variable fluorescence at the K-step (Fk) of Kautsky curves relative to the amplitude of FJ−Fo (Wk) and a decrease of the maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm). Such inhibition appeared to ameliorate the function of downstream electron acceptors, protecting PSI from over-reduction. In turn, the stable PSI activity increased the efficiency of cyclic electron transport (CET) around PSI, dissipating excess energy and supplying ATP for CO2 assimilation. When the algal thalli were grown under increased CO2 and OA conditions, the CET activity became further enhanced, which maintained the OEC stability and thus markedly alleviating the UVR-induced photoinhibition. In conclusion, the well-established coordination between PSII and PSI endows P. yezoensis with a highly efficient photochemical performance in response to UVR, especially under the scenario of future increased CO2 levels and OA.

Difficidin class of polyketide antibiotics from marine macroalga-associated Bacillus as promising antibacterial agents.

A heterotrophoic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MTCC12713 isolated from an intertidal macroalga Kappaphycus alverezii displayed promising antibacterial activities against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Genome mining of the bacterium predicted biosynthetic gene clusters coding for antibacterial secondary metabolites. Twenty-one membered macrocyclic lactones, identified as difficidin analogues bearing 6-hydroxy-8-propyl carboxylate, 9-methyl-19-propyl dicarboxylate, 6-methyl-9-propyl dicarboxylate-19-propanone, and (20-acetyl)-6-methyl-9-isopentyl dicarboxylate (compounds 1 through 4) functionalities were purified through bioassay-guided fractionation. The difficidin analogues exhibited bactericidal activities against vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and other drug-resistant strains, such of Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with the minimum inhibitory concentration of about 2-9 × 10-3 μM. A plausible enzyme-catalyzed biosynthetic pathway that is generated through addition of acrylyl initiator unit by repetitive decarboxylative Claisen condensation modules with malonate units was recognized, and their structures were corroborated with gene organization of the dif operon, which could comprehend dif A-O (~ 70 kb). Drug-likeness score for 5-ethoxy-28-methyl-(9-methyl-19-propyl dicarboxylate) difficidin (compound 2, 0.35) was greater than those ofother difficidin analogues, which corroborated thepotential in vitro antibacterial propertiesof the former. The present study demonstrated the potential of difficidin analogues for pharmaceutical and biotechnological uses against the bottleneck of emergent drug-resistant pathogens. KEY POINTS: • Difficidins were isolated from marine alga associated Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. • Whole-genome mining of bacterial genome predicted biosynthetic gene clusters. • Greater drug-likeness for difficidin 2 confirmed its potent antibacterial activity.

Physiological responses to salt stress by native and introduced red algae in New Zealand

Intertidal macroalgae are regularly exposed to hypo- or hypersaline conditions which are stressful. However, red algae in New Zealand are generally poorly studied in terms of salinity tolerance. Consequently, two native (Bostrychia arbuscula W. H. Harvey [Ceramiales], Champia novae-zelandiae [J. D. Hooker & Harvey] Harvey [Rhodymeniales]) and one introduced red algal taxon (Schizymenia spp. J. Agardh [Nemastomatales]) were exposed for 5 days in a controlled salt stress experiment to investigate photosynthetic activity and osmotic acclimation. The photosynthetic activity of B. arbuscula was not affected by salinity, as reflected in an almost unchanged maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm). In contrast, the Fv/Fm of C. novae-zelandiae and Schizymenia spp. strongly decreased under hypo- and hypersaline conditions. Treatment with different salinities led to an increase of the total organic osmolyte concentrations with rising salt stress in B. arbuscula and Schizymenia spp. In C. novae-zelandiae the highest organic osmolyte concentrations were recorded at SA 38, followed by declining amounts with further hypersaline exposure. In B. arbuscula, sorbitol was the main organic osmolyte, while the other taxa contained floridoside. The data presented indicate that all three red algal species conspicuously differ in their salt tolerance. The upper intertidal B. arbuscula exhibited a wide salinity tolerance as reflected by unaffected photosynthetic parameters and strong sorbitol accumulation under increasing salinities, and hence can be characterized as euryhaline. In contrast, the introduced Schizymenia spp. and native C. novae-zelandiae, which preferentially occur in the mid-intertidal, showed a narrower salinity tolerance. The species-specific responses reflect their respective vertical positions in the intertidal zone. Key words: floridoside; hypersaline; maximum quantum yield; organic osmolytes; sorbitol

Size‐dependent Molecular Characteristics and Possible Sources of Organic Aerosols at a Coastal New Particle Formation Hotspot of East China

AbstractWe investigated size‐dependent molecular characteristics of coastal organic aerosols from &lt;0.032 to 3.2 μm at a new particle formation (NPF) hotspot of east China by using Fourier transform‐ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT‐ICR‐MS). Strong connection between C20–33HhOo/C18,30HhOoNn compounds in particles smaller than 0.10 μm and the volatile organic compounds emitted from local intertidal macroalgae suggests that the organic compounds (OC) in ultrafine particles are formed probably via the gas‐phase oxidation of long‐chain fatty aldehydes or acids, followed by particle‐phase accretion reactions or imine formation during the coastal NPF events. In 0.18–0.56 μm particles, dominant C8–C20 CHO, CHON, CHOS and CHONS compounds (maximum: C10 or C15) are suggested most likely to be terpene oxidation products. Highly oxygenated compounds with 0.6 ≤ H/C ≤ 1.5 and 0.67 ≤ O/C ≤ 1.2 reside mostly in 0.18–0.56 μm particles, accounting for 5% of the OC formulas in this size range. Iodinated OC are subsequently formed via electrophilic substitution of non‐iodinated OC by iodine cations (e.g., from HOI or I2) in iodine‐rich particles. CHN and Cl/Br‐containing OC account altogether for only 0.7% and 0.9% of OC formulas, respectively. As a result of the above compound distribution, the intensity weighted unsaturation degree and carbon oxidation state of OC increase with particle size. The distribution of aromatic compounds (i.e. Aromaticity Index &gt; 0.5) is bimodal with peaks in 0.056–0.18 μm and 1.0–3.2 μm. In addition, our study observed higher unsaturation degree, carbon oxidation state and aromaticity of OC in coastal PM2.5 than inland urban PM2.5 in the same region.

Dual roles of reactive oxygen species in intertidal macroalgae Ulva prolifera under ultraviolet-B radiation

Ultraviolet-B (280−320 nm wavelength; UV-B) is one of the important reactive oxygen species (ROS) production factors in plants. The use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as refrigerants or propellants caused a serious depletion of ozone in the 1980s, which led to an increase of UV-B. Although the emissions of CFCs have decreased significantly in recent years, the ozone layer will not recover soon. The slow recovery of the ozone causes the slow decrease of UV-B intensity, and the intensity of UV-B varies with time and weather throughout the day. In the present study, typical intertidal macroalgae Ulva prolifera was exposed to moderate and extreme UV-B radiation (1 W m-2 and 5 W m-2), and the production and roles of ROS in U. prolifera under UV-B are discussed. The results are as follows: 1) ROS were mainly produced in the chloroplast under moderate UV-B radiation (1 W m-2). ROS played the signaling molecule function and led the secondary signaling pathways during this process. 2) Excessive ROS were produced in both the chloroplast and peroxisome. OH caused irreversible damage to the thalli exposed to 5 W m−2 radiation. Overall, these novel results support the idea of dual roles of ROS in U. prolifera under UV-B radiation (signaling molecules and oxidative damage). Moreover, they further highlight the role of photosynthesis in the production of ROS under UV-B.

Physiological response to warming in intertidal macroalgae with different thermal affinity

Changes in the abundance and distribution of seaweeds have been reported worldwide. In Northwest Iberia, cold and warm affinity seaweeds have respectively decreased and increased their abundance. To improve our understanding of their vulnerability to future warming scenarios, the effects of warming on the photosynthetic and respiratory performance of seaweeds with cold-water (Fucus serratus and Vertebrata lanosa) and warm-water (Padina pavonica and Gigartina pistillata) affinities were compared in a highly resolved temperature gradient (7–31 °C) under controlled laboratory conditions. While neither the optimum temperature nor the photosynthetic rate at the optimum temperature showed consistent differences between water affinity groups, the temperature dependence of net photosynthesis was significantly higher in the warm-affinity group. Photosynthesis was less responsive than respiration to warming in cold-affinity seaweeds while both rates showed similar responsiveness in warm-affinity ones, suggesting that the relative responsiveness of respiration and photosynthesis to temperature may be indicative of warming susceptibility.

The microbiota of intertidal macroalgae Fucus distichus is site-specific and resistant to change following transplant.

It is unclear how host-associated microbial communities will be affected by future environmental change. Characterizing how microbiota differ across sites with varying environmental conditions and assessing the stability of the microbiota in response to abiotic variation are critical steps towards predicting outcomes of environmental change. Intertidal organisms are valuable study systems because they experience extreme variation in environmental conditions on tractable timescales such as tide cycles and across small spatial gradients in the intertidal zone. Here we show a widespread intertidal macroalgae, Fucus distichus, hosts site-specific microbiota over small (meters to kilometres) spatial scales. We demonstrate stability of site-specific microbial associations by manipulating the host environment and microbial species pool with common garden and reciprocal transplant experiments. We hypothesized that F. distichus microbiota would readily shift to reflect the contemporary environment due to selective filtering by abiotic conditions and/or colonization by microbes from the new environment or nearby hosts. Instead, F. distichus microbiota was stable for days after transplantation in both the laboratory and field. Our findings expand the current understanding of microbiota dynamics on an intertidal foundation species. These results may also point to adaptations for withstanding short-term environmental variation, in hosts and/or microbes, facilitating stable host-microbial associations.

Enhanced removal of phenolic endocrine disrupting chemicals from coastal waters by intertidal macroalgae

The phytoremediation of phenolic endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in coastal waters by intertidal macroalgae was firstly investigated. The results showed that intertidal macroalgae could remove bisphenol A (BPA) and nonylphenol (NP) at environmental relevant concentration, and Ulva pertusa was the most efficient one. In most cases, the order of EDCs removal efficiency could be expressed as: green algae > brown algae > red algae. The in-situ monitoring using a charge‐coupled device imaging system confirmed the accumulation of EDCs in the intertidal macroalgae. The removal mechanisms included the initial rapid biosorption process, followed by the slow accumulation and biodegradation. The removal efficiency of BPA and NP was slightly dependent on temperature and nutrient concentration. A linear relationship was observed between the initial concentration and the average removal rate (R2 > 0.99). The BPA and NP at the environmental relevant concentration (100 μg L−1) could be removed efficiently using Ulva pertusa even after three cycles in pilot-scale experiments. The high removal efficiency of NP and BPA was also confirmed by the field investigation from the intertidal zone with abundant Ulva pertusa. These findings demonstrated that intertidal macroalgae could play essential role for the phytoremediation of phenolic EDCs in coastal waters.