The strictly freshwater red algal order Batrachospermales has undergone numerous taxonomic rearrangements in the recent past to rectify the paraphyly of its largest genus Batrachospermum. These systematic investigations have led to the description of new genera and species as well as re-circumscription of some taxa. Specimens collected from two locations in the southeastern USA were initially identified as being allied to Batrachospermum sensu lato, but could not be assigned to any recognized species. Representative rbcL (plastid) and COI-5P (mitochondrion) sequences showed these specimens to be similar to each other and not closely matching the previously published sequence data for other Batrachospermum taxa. Comparison of sequence variation and morphology with a broader range of batrachospermalean taxa resulted in the proposal of a new monotypic genus Lympha mucosa gen. et sp. nov. to accommodate these specimens. Lympha mucosa is sister to members of a newly described genus Volatus, but the two genera are easily distinguished based on straight versus curved, twisted or spirally coiled carpogonial branch, respectively. This new taxon has morphological similarities to Batrachospermum sections Turfosa and Virescentia, but can be differentiated based on genetic divergence in rbcL and COI-5P as well as a combination of morphological characters: dense, compressed whorls, axial carposporophytes with a single type of gonimoblast filament; cortication of the main axis closely appressed; and short, straight carpogonial branch arising from the pericentral cell and carpogonia with unstalked, lanceolate trichogynes. This new taxon adds to the freshwater red algal diversity of the southeastern USA, a region already known for biodiversity and high endemism of the aquatic flora and fauna. It is also a relevant new addition to the taxonomic knowledge of the freshwater red algal Batrachospermales.

During a sampling at Nokdong harbor, southern coast of Korea in January 2017, the marine diatom Coscinodiscus wailesii cells infected by a novel parasitoid nanoflagellate were observed. While the development process of the trophosomes of the parasitoid was more similar to that of Pseudopirsonia mucosa, division pattern of the auxosomes was similar to that of Pirsonia species. Phylogenetic analyses inferred from 18S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the parasitoid infecting C. wailesii fell within the cercozoan groups and branched as a sister lineage of the clade consisting of Pseudopirsonia mucosa and the undescribed Cercomonas sp. SIC7235, with the sequence dissimilarity of 7.3% with Pseudopirsonia mucosa. All of these developmental and molecular characteristics suggest that the parasitoid nanoflagellate infecting the diatom C. wailesii is a new Pseudopirsonia species.

To quantify the abundance of the harmful dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides in natural seawaters, we developed the innovative procedure using a droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) with C. polykrikoides-specific primers targeting the internal transcription sequence (ITS). The abundance of C. polykrikoides was estimated by the specific copy number of target ITS DNA segments per cell in cultures and natural water samples. The copy number per C. polykrikoides cell as acquired by ddPCR was $157{\pm}16$, which was evaluated against known cell numbers through a simplified protocol preparing DNAs. The abundances of C. polykrikoides in the waters of different locations estimated by ddPCR agreed with the number of cells visually counted under a microscope. This protocol was used to measure the abundance of C. polykrikoides close to and further off the southern coast of Korea in August of 2016 and 2017. The practical application showed that this method can reduce time for analysis and increase accuracy.

Occurrence of Cochlodinium polykrikoides red tides have resulted in considerable economic losses in the aquaculture industry in many countries, and thus predicting the process of C. polykrikoides red tides is a critical step toward minimizing those losses. Models predicting red tide dynamics define mortality due to predation as one of the most important parameters. To investigate the roles of heterotrophic protists in red tide dynamics in the South Sea of Korea, the abundances of heterotrophic dinoflagellates (HTDs), tintinnid ciliates (TCs), and naked ciliates (NCs) were measured over one- or two-week intervals from May to Nov 2014. In addition, the grazing impacts of dominant heterotrophic protists on each red tide species were estimated by combining field data on red tide species abundances and dominant heterotrophic protist grazers with data obtained from the literature concerning ingestion rates of the grazers on red tide species. The abundances of HTDs, TCs, and NCs over the course of this study were high during or after red tides, with maximum abundances of 82, 49, and $35cells\;mL^{-1}$, respectively. In general, the dominant heterotrophic protists differed when different species caused red tides. The HTDs Polykrikos spp. and NCs were abundant during or after C. polykrikoides red tides. The mean and maximum calculated grazing coefficients of Polykrikos spp. and NCs on populations of co-occurring C. polykrikoides were $1.63d^{-1}$ and $12.92d^{-1}$, respectively. Moreover, during or after red tides dominated by the phototrophic dinoflagellates Prorocentrum donghaiense, Ceratium furca, and Alexandrium fraterculus, which formed serial red tides prior to the occurrence of C. polykrikoides red tides, the HTDs Gyrodinium spp., Polykrikos spp., and Gyrodinium spp., respectively were abundant. The maximum calculated grazing coefficients attributable to dominant heterotrophic protists on co-occurring P. donghaiense, C. furca, and A. fraterculus were 13.12, 4.13, and $2.00d^{-1}$, respectively. Thus, heterotrophic protists may sometimes have considerable potential grazing impacts on populations of these four red tide species in the study area.

Kelp forests and the many vital ecosystem services they provide are threatened as the severity of climate change and other anthropogenic stressors continues to mount. Particularly in the North Pacific, sea surface temperature is warming and glacial melt is decreasing salinity. This study explored the resiliency of early life-history stages of these foundation species through a factorial laboratory experiment. The effects of rising sea surface temperature under low salinity conditions on kelp spore settlement and initial gametophyte growth in Eualaria fistulosa, Nereocystis luetkeana, and Saccharina latissima were investigated. Decreased settlement and growth were observed in these species at elevated temperatures and at low salinity. Eualaria fistulosa spores and gametophytes were the most negatively impacted, compared to the more widely distributed N. luetkeana and S. latissima. These results suggest that N. luetkeana and S. latissima could potentially outperform E. fistulosa under projected conditions. However, despite decreased performance among all species, our findings indicate that these species are largely resilient to temperature changes when exposed to a low salinity, even when the temperature changes are immediate and extreme. By exploring how early life-history stages of several key kelp species are impacted by dual stressors, this research enhances our understanding of how kelp forests will respond to projected and extreme changes in temperature when already stressed by low salinity.

Freshwater algae living in shallow waters have evolved various photomovement to stay in the optimum light condition for survival. Previous action-spectra investigations showed that Spirogyra filaments have phototropic movement in blue light. To decipher the genetic control of phototropic movement, two phototropin homologues were isolated from Spirogyra varians, and named SvphotA and SvphotB. Both phototropins have similar molecular structure consisted of two light-oxygen-voltage domains (LOV1, LOV2) and a serine / threonine kinase domain. SvphotA and SvphotB had 48.7% sequence identity. Phylogenetic analysis showed SvphotA and SvphotB belong to different clades suggesting early divergence, possibly before the divergence of land plants from the Zygnematales. Quantitative PCR and northern blot analysis showed that SvphotA and SvphotB responded differently to red and blue light. SvphotA was consistently expressed in the dark and in blue light, while SvphotB was expressed only when the plants were exposed to light. When the filaments were exposed to red light, SvphotA was significantly downregulated whereas SvphotB was highly upregulated. These results suggest that the two phototropins may have different roles in the photoresponse in S. varians.

We report on the culture growth and stress-induced secondary carotenogenesis in a biotechnologically promising but largely unexplored chlorophyte Coelastrella rubescens strain Vinatzer/Innsbruck V 195. Changes in the cell morphometry, biomass accumulation, its carotenoid and fatty acid profiles were followed in the cultures supplemented with either inorganic ($CO_2$) or organic (sodium acetate) carbon on the background of low-pH stress. Collectively, the results of the study characterize C. rubescens as a biotechnologically promising, potentially double-purpose organism. It produces several secondary keto-carotenoids with a considerable proportion of astaxanthin and canthaxanthin. At the same time, the cell lipid fatty acid profile of this microalga is suitable for obtaining a high-quality biodiesel complying with the strictest EN14214 European standard.

Fine dust (FD) particles have become a major contributor to air pollution causing detrimental effects on the respiratory system and skin. Although some studies have investigated the effects of FD on the respiratory system, their possible effects on the skin remain under-explored. We investigated the FD mediated inflammatory responses in keratinocytes, present in the outer layers of skin tissues and the transfer of inflammatory potential to macrophages. We further evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of the polyphenolic derivative, diphlorethohydroxycarmalol (DPHC) isolated from Ishige okamurae against FD-induced inflammation. Size distribution of FD particles was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. FD particles induced the production of cyclooxygenase-2, prostaglandin E2 ($PGE_2$), interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$, and IL-6 in HaCaT keratinocytes and the expression of nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthases (iNOS), $PGE_2$, tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Further, we evaluated the inflammatory potential of the culture medium of inflammation-induced HaCaT cells in RAW 264.7 macrophages and observed a marked increase in the expression of NO, iNOS, $PGE_2$, and proinflammatory cytokines. DPHC treatment markedly attenuated the inflammatory responses, indicating its effectiveness in suppressing a broad range of inflammatory responses. It also showed anti-inflammatory potential in in-vivo experiments using FD-stimulated zebrafish embryos by decreasing NO and reactive oxygen species production, while eventing cell death caused by inflammation.