The Co-Evolution Aspects of the Biogeochemical Role of Phytoplankton in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Review

Abstract

In freshwater and marine ecosystems, the phytoplankton community is based on microalgae and cyanobacteria, which include phylogenetically very diverse groups of oxygenic photoautotrophs. In the process of evolution, they developed a wide range of bio(geo)chemical adaptations that allow them to effectively use solar radiation, CO2, and nutrients, as well as major and trace elements, to form O2 and organic compounds with a high chemical bond energy. The inclusion of chemical elements in the key processes of energy and plastic metabolism in the cell is determined by redox conditions and the abundance and metabolic availability of elements in the paleoenvironment. Geochemical evolution, which proceeded simultaneously with the evolution of biosystems, contributed to an increase in the number of metals and trace elements acting as cofactors of enzymes involved in metabolism and maintaining homeostasis in the first photoautotrophs. The diversity of metal-containing enzymes and the adaptive ability to replace one element with another without losing the functional properties of enzymes ensured the high ecological plasticity of species and allowed microalgae and cyanobacteria to successfully colonize a wide variety of habitats. In this review, we consider the main aspects of the modern concepts of the biogeochemical evolution of aquatic ecosystems and the role of some metals in the main bioenergetic processes in photosynthetic prokaryotes and eukaryotes. We present generalized data on the efficiency of the assimilation of key nutrients by phytoplankton and their importance in the cycle of carbon, silicon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and iron. This article presents modern views on the evolutionary prerequisites for the formation of elemental signatures in different systematic groups of microalgae, as well as the possibility of using the stoichiometric ratio in the study of biological and geochemical processes in aquatic ecosystems.

Carbon Footprint Reduction and Climate Change Mitigation: A Review of the Approaches, Technologies, and Implementation Challenges

“…Biological carbon fixation technologies use the photosynthesis of green plants, inhabiting both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, to convert CO 2 into organic matter, ensuring the C-O balance in the atmosphere [137,138]. The technologies focused on these strategies for the biological assimilation of CO 2 include blue carbon sequestration and green carbon sequestration [19,139].…”

“…Pelagic ecosystems of the world ocean, especially macro-and microalgae, are considered another important link in the sequestration of CO 2 from the atmosphere [134,139,173,174]. The net primary production of phytoplankton in the world ocean is ~60 × 10 3 Mt of organic carbon per year, which corresponds to ~200 × 10 3 Mt of CO 2 captured by primary producers from the atmosphere [175].…”

Biomimetic Sol–Gel Chemistry to Tailor Structure, Properties, and Functionality of Bionanocomposites by Biopolymers and Cells

“…Its main function is to mechanically strengthen aerial parts, but SiO 2 appears to be more vitally important, participating in growth and defense processes, for example, cadmium detoxification in rice and the alleviation of abiotic stress damage [ 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 ]. In addition to plants, silica is also found in animals and microorganisms, acting as a nutrient that is important for their growth and functioning [ 3 , 4 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 ].…”

“…The largest amounts of biosilica are synthesized by marine organisms: diatoms, sponges. radiolarians, and silicoflagellates [ 3 , 4 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 ]. They absorb silicic acid from water, which is transformed into silica.…”

“…Its greatest quantities are accumulated by diatoms, which constitute one of the largest groups of phytoplanktons. They annually assimilate ~7 trillion kg of silicon in the form of orthosilicic acid, synthesizing frustule from amorphous silica, which is called biogenic silica or biosilica [ 3 , 4 ]. The formation of biosilica occurs under normal conditions, neutral pH, and under superior control of biopolymers, which completely regulate biosilicification processes and its highly ordered hierarchical structural organization with an impressive geometry [ 5 ].…”