Leonel Pereira

By Leonel Pereira and João Cotas

Part of the book: Alginates

By Glacio Souza Araujo, Diana Pacheco, João Cotas, José William Alves da Silva, Jefferson Saboya, Renato Teixeira Moreira and Leonel Pereira

Plankton is composed by unicellular, filamentous or colonial organisms that may have prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell structures. These organisms have an extreme ecological importance in the different water bodies worldwide, as they fix carbon dioxide, produce oxygen and are an important key element in the basis of various food chains. Through an industrial perspective, phytoplankton species have been used as a feedstock for a wide range of applications, such as wastewater treatment, or production of high value compounds; and commercial products, such as food and feed supplements, pharmacological compounds, lipids, enzymes, biomass, polymers, toxins, pigments. Zooplankton is commonly used as live food for larval stages to the period of termination of fish, shrimp, mollusks and corals. These types of organisms have characteristics such as a valuable nutritional composition, digestibility, buoyancy, ease of ingestion and attractive movement for post-larvae, thus presenting economic importance. This book chapter aims to demonstrate the several advantages that plankton have, their ecological and economic importance, targeting the production of add-value products.

Part of the book: Plankton Communities

By Leonel Pereira and Miguel A. Pardal

Part of the book: Oceanography

By Madalena Mendes, Alina Hillinger, Kay Ihle, Miguel Cascais, Pedro Andrade, João Cotas, Diana Pacheco, João Carlos Marques, Leonel Pereira and Ana Marta Mendes Gonçalves

Seaweeds have been used globally for different purposes. Recent developments in technology coupled with an increasing interest in the resource have created a need for seaweed aquaculture to meet the demand. This review tackles the question of whether seaweed aquaculture has the potential to support the blue economy as well as climate change adaptation. Seaweed aquaculture represents an economically viable sector that has the potential to support the blue economy. The sector succeeds in meeting sustainability requirements while supporting human health and wealth through qualities such as naturally acting as a bio-filter, reducing ocean acidification, carbon sequestration, provision of habitat, and coastal protection; seaweed aquaculture can be used as a tool in conservation and climate adaptation. However, seaweed aquaculture is still in its infancy in many areas of the world, especially in the West, and there is a need for improved legislation and guidelines. Furthermore, several environmental hazards, such as physical stress (abiotic and abiotic factors), genetic depletion, and the introduction of non-native species, can cause future problems, particularly if legislation restrictions are not fully revised to ensure the safety of seaweed aquaculture. The sector poses great opportunities and is a sustainable way forward that is necessary to meet increasing demand.

Part of the book: Oceanography