Topic
Microphyte
About: Microphyte is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 20 publications have been published within this topic receiving 698 citations.
Papers
TL;DR: The commercialization of DHA from microalgae demonstrates the value of these organisms as a source of useful fatty acids as well as their utility for the production of food products.
Abstract: Microalgae are a very diverse group of organisms that consist of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic forms. Although most microalgae are phototrophic, some species are also capable of heterotrophic growth. Some species of microalgae can be induced to overproduce particular fatty acids through simple manipulations of the physical and chemical properties of the culture medium. As a result of the profound differences in cellular organization and growth modes and the ability to manipulate their fatty acid content, microalgae represent a significant source of unusual and valuable lipids and fatty acids.
The utilization of microalgal lipids and fatty acids as food components requires that these organisms be grown at large scale under controlled conditions. Several growth systems have been developed for large scale growth of phototrophic microalgae using either natural sunlight or artificial light, but their lack of control of culturing parameters or their high cost of operation have limited their utility for the production of food products. Instead, large scale cultivation of heterotrophic microalgae using classical fermentation systems provides consistent biomass produced under highly controlled conditions at low cost.
Microalgae contain many of the major lipid classes and fatty acids found in other organisms. However, they are also the principal producers in the biosphere of some polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The high DHA content found in some algae is currently being utilized to supplement infant formula to enable it to more closely resemble human breast milk. Thus, the commercialization of DHA from microalgae demonstrates the value of these organisms as a source of useful fatty acids.
142 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the spectral reflectance curves of lower plants can be similar to those of higher ones and their derived NDVI values can be as high as 0.30 units.
121 citations
TL;DR: This study highlights the need to integrate interactions between organism behavior and habitat type into functional group studies to broaden conceptual frameworks and avoid oversimplification of highly complex organism–sediment interactions.
Abstract: Species are often grouped according to their biological or functional traits to better understand their contribution to ecosystem functioning. However, it is becoming clear that a single species can perform different roles in different habitats. Austrohelice crassa, a burrow-building mud crab shifts its primary bioturbational role to that of a vertical mixer in non-cohesive sediments as frequent burrow collapse greatly enhances sediment reworking. We conducted in situ crab density manipulations in two sediment environments (a non-cohesive sand and a cohesive muddy-sand) to examine if the context-specific functional roles were linked to changes in solute fluxes across the sediment–water interface. Across both habitats, we show that A. crassa regulated nutrient cycling, creating strong density driven effects on solute exchanges. Increasing crab density increased sediment O2 demand and the flux of NH4
+ from the sediment, indicating much of the response was physiologically driven. Clear interactions between A. crassa and microphytobenthos were also detected in both habitats. Despite lowering microphyte standing stock through deposit feeding, A. crassa increased benthic primary production per unit of chlorophyll a. Our experiment also revealed important context-specific differences, most notably for NH4
+ fluxes, which were higher where burrows and their associated microbial communities were most stable (muddy-sand). This study highlights the need to integrate interactions between organism behavior and habitat type into functional group studies to broaden conceptual frameworks and avoid oversimplification of highly complex organism–sediment interactions.
93 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, microphytic crusts were removed from the soil surface to approximate conditions of absence to reduce the time to ponding and time to runoff due to structural and textural differences at the soil/air interface.
Abstract: Microphytic crusts form at the soil surface in arid and semiarid rangelands. They bind soil particles together and purportedly influence hydrologic and stability responses to rainfall. We tested this influence in a designed rainfall simulation experiment conducted on a sandy loam site in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, that had been protected from livestock and human traffic for two to three years. Treatments consisted of microphytic crust conditions: 1) living and undisturbed (control); 2) chemically killed to determine structural influence (chemically killed), and mechanically removed from the soil surface (scalped) to approximate conditions of absence. Microphytic crusts in control and chemically killed treatments significantly reduced (a = 0.05) time to ponding and time to runoff, apparently due to structural and textural differences at the soil/air interface. Interrill erosion was greatest in the chemically killed treatment and lowest in the control treatment. Interrill erosion in the scalped treatment was significantly greater than in the control treatment at 45 and 90 min. Microphytic crusts did not significantly influence the infiltration capacity. We attribute these responses to textural differences and structural support contributed to the soil by the microphytes. In the control treatment, living microphytes’ greatest contribution was to the stabilization of fine soil particles at the soil surface. Microphytic crusts’ ability to contribute to soil stability should be considered in development of management plans.
67 citations
TL;DR: This review provides an overview of the application of microalgae in the production of bioactive and other chemicals and how they can contribute to mitigate greenhouse gases.
Abstract: Microalgae and cyanobacteria are rich sources of many valuable compounds, including important bioactive and biotechnologically relevant chemicals. Their enormous biodiversity, and the consequent variability in the respective biochemical composition, make microalgae cultivations a promising resource for many novel chemically and biologically active molecules and compounds of high commercial value such as lipids and dyes. The nature of the chemicals produced can be manipulated by changing the cultivation media and conditions. Algae are extremely versatile because they can be adapted to a variety of cell culture conditions. They do not require arable land, can be cultivated on saline water and wastewaters, and require much less water than plants. They possess an extremely high growth rate making these microorganisms very attractive for use in biofuel production--some species of algae can achieve around 100 times more oil than oil seeds. In addition, microalgae and cyanobacteria can accumulate various biotoxins and can contribute to mitigate greenhouse gases since they produce biomass through carbon dioxide fixation. In this review, we provide an overview of the application of microalgae in the production of bioactive and other chemicals.
41 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2015 | 1 |