Scope

The Marine and Freshwater Plants specialty section publishes significant findings and major advances on the evolution, cell biology, physiology, ecology, genetics, and biotechnological applications of photosynthetic organisms living in aquatic habitats. Since the emergence of photosynthesis has occurred several times in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, the considered organisms range from cyanobacteria to plastid-containing eukaryotes, commonly termed microalgae, macroalgae and seagrass. Studies on established model species (e.g. Synechocystis, Chlamydomonas, Ostreococcus, Thalassiosira, Phaeodactylum, Nannochloropsis, Bigelowiella, Chondrus, Ectocarpus, etc.), novel model or non-model species are welcome. Aquatic habitats encompass oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, mangroves, snow, ice, and even water droplets in aerosols and clouds.

Topics covered by this section include, but are not limited to:

· Evolution: molecular and experimental evolution, systematics, taxonomy, genome evolution and reorganization, gene transfers, biogeography

· Physiology, development and cell biology: cellular architecture, subcellular compartment biogenesis and function, primary and secondary endosymbiosis, life cycle, reproduction, differentiation, intra- and intercellular signaling  

· Environment interactions: responses to environmental stresses, acclimation, adaptation, responses to climate change and pollution, from ecophysiology, ecology to modeling

· Biotic interactions: interactions with bacteria, grazers, viruses, formation of blooms, inter-species associations in photosymbionts, endophytes, holobionts (e.g. with ciliates, acantharians, foraminifers, corals, etc), parasitism, anti-pathogenic and immune strategies

· Photosynthesis and metabolism: photosynthesis, primary and secondary metabolism, biomass and primary productivity, carbon storage, autotrophy, heterotrophy and mixotrophy

· Genetics and epigenetics: functional genomic studies, genome editing and engineering, novel molecular tools

· Biotechnology: biobased molecules (e.g. lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, pigments) for high value applications (food, feed, health, cosmetics) and commodity markets (synthons for green chemistry, biomaterials, biofuels), cell factories, development and characterization of production strains, cultivation in photobioreactors or open ponds, biorefinery, biochemical extracts

We expect contributions that employ state-of-the-art technology and approaches, and welcome studies addressing scientific questions at multiple scales, e.g. from molecular to cell level, from species to ecosystems, and taking multidisciplinary approaches to decipher complex mechanisms. Articles must show conceptual advances or novel insights on the topic of interest. Descriptive studies that do not address a clear functional hypothesis or question in a broad context or that provide only incremental or negligible advancement of knowledge (e.g. studies describing a novel species without a phylogenetic framework, pure applications of DNA barcoding, gene functions, cell structures or biotechnological procedures  extensively characterized in another model or described with other strains) do not fall within the scope of this section. 

Please consider the requirements for experimental studies as listed below

Submission

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