The sugar kelp Saccharina latissima I: recent advances in a changing climate

Abstract

Background The sugar kelp Saccharina latissima is a Laminariales species widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. Its physiology and ecology have been studied since the 1960s, given its ecological relevance on western temperate coasts. However, research interest has been rising recently, driven mainly by reports of negative impacts of anthropogenically induced environmental change and by the increased commercial interest in cultivating the species, with several industrial applications for the resulting biomass. Scope We used a variety of sources published between 2009 to May 2023 (but including some earlier literature where required), to provide a comprehensive review of the ecology, physiology, biochemical and molecular biology of S. latissima. In so doing we aimed to better understand the species’ response to stressors in natural communities, but also inform the sustainable cultivation of the species. Conclusion Due to its wide distribution, S. latissima has developed a variety of physiological and biochemical mechanisms to adjust to environmental changes, including adjustments in photosynthetic parameters, modulation of osmolytes and antioxidants, reprogramming of gene expression and epigenetic modifications, among others summarized in this review. This is particularly important because massive changes in the abundance and distribution of S. latissima have already been observed. Namely, presence and abundance of S. latissima has significantly decreased at the rear edges on both sides of the Atlantic, and increased in abundance at the polar regions. These changes were mainly caused by climate change and will therefore be increasingly evident in the future. Recent developments in genomics, transcriptomics and epigenomics have clarified the existence of genetic differentiation along its distributional range with implications in the fitness at some locations. The complex biotic and abiotic interactions unraveled here demonstrated the cascading effects the disappearance of a kelp forest can have in a marine ecosystem. We show how S. latissima is an excellent model to study acclimation and adaptation to environmental variability and how to predict future distribution and persistence under climate change.

Kelp forest community structure and demography in Kongsfjorden (Svalbard) across 25 years of Arctic warming

“…The group “digitate kelps” comprises warm‐temperate Laminaria digitata and cold‐temperate to Arctic Hedophyllum nigripes . Both A. esculenta and H. nigripes have a preference to cold temperatures in gametogenesis and sporophyte growth and survival (Franke et al., 2021 ; Kraan, 2020 ; Munda & Lüning, 1977 ; Zacher et al., 2019 ) whereas L. digitata and S. latissima have a wider temperature range and up to 5°C higher temperature optima (Diehl et al., 2024 ; Franke et al., 2021 ; Bolton & Lüning, 1982 ; Tom Dieck, 1992 ). While a laboratory study with juvenile sporophytes indicated a competitive advantage of A. esculenta over L. digitata when both species were co‐cultivated at 5°C and 9°C due to faster growth rates in A. esculenta (Zacher et al., 2019 ), this relationship is unknown for H. nigripes .…”

Chloroplast DNA methylation in the kelp Saccharina latissima is determined by origin and possibly influenced by cultivation

“…At each site, 10 sporophytes were retrieved from corresponding depths. From each sporophyte, 4 discs (ø = 3 cm) were cut from the phylloid, omitting the meristematic region (very young, non‐representative tissue), and ‘midsection’ (location of differentiated cells for assimilate transport along sporophyte, and (when present) reproductive tissues; for morphological display, see Diehl et al., 2024 ). All tissue samples (laboratory and field) were dried in cellulose bags in silica.…”

“…Our study is the first attempt to determine the influence of temperature, origin, and growth condition (wild vs. cultivated) on the methylome of chloroplasts of the kelp Saccharina latissima (sugar kelp). In the northern hemisphere, this boreal‐temperate marine brown alga, a congener species to S. japonica with a large latitudinal distribution range, is among the macroalgal species of both high ecological and economic value (Bartsch et al., 2008 ; Cai et al., 2021 ; Diehl et al., 2024 ).…”

Exchange or Eliminate: The Secrets of Algal-Bacterial Relationships

“…Algae are strongly affected by climate change; along with the increased temperatures, there is a decrease in natural populations of kelp, such as Saccharina latissima [ 27 , 28 ], and there is coral reef bleaching due to the loss of the algal symbiont (see Section 3.3 ). Climate-driven shifts in algal-bacterial interactions were also reported over ten years [ 29 ].…”