Furthering knowledge on seaweed growth and development to facilitate sustainable aquaculture

Bénédicte Charrier, Maria Helena Abreu, Araujo Rita, Annette Bruhn, Juliet Coates, Olivier De Clerck, Christos Katsaros, Rafael Robaina, Thomas Wichard

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)
336 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Macroalgae (seaweeds) are the subject of increasing interest for their potential as a source of valuable, sustainable biomass in the food, feed, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Compared with microalgae, the pace of knowledge acquisition in seaweeds is slower despite the availability of whole-genome sequences and model organisms for the major seaweed groups. This is partly a consequence of specific hurdles related to the large size of these organisms and their slow growth. As a result, this basic scientific field is falling behind, despite the societal and economic importance of these organisms. Here, we argue that sustainable management of seaweed aquaculture requires fundamental understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms controlling macroalgal life cycles – from the production of germ cells to the growth and fertility of the adult organisms – using diverse approaches requiring a broad range of technological tools. This Viewpoint highlights several examples of basic research on macroalgal developmental biology that could enable the step-changes which are required to adequately meet the demands of the aquaculture sector.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)967-975
Number of pages9
JournalNew Phytologist
Volume216
Issue number4
Early online date11 Aug 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Nov 2017

Keywords

  • Aquaculture
  • Biomass
  • Conservation of Natural Resources
  • Life Cycle Stages
  • Seaweed/growth & development

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