Microbial contamination is the main cause of loss of biomass yield in microalgal cultures, especially under outdoor environmental conditions. Little is known about the identities of microbial contaminants in outdoor mass algal cultures. In this study, a new genus and species of vampyrellid amoeba, Vernalophrys algivore , is described from cultures of Scenedesmus dimorphus in open raceway ponds and outdoor flat-panel photobioreactors. This vampyrellid amoeba was a significant grazer of Scenedesmus and was frequently associated with a very rapid decline in algal numbers. We report on the morphology, subcellular structure, feeding behavior, molecular phylogeny, and life cycle. The new amoeba resembles Leptophrys in the shape of trophozoites and pseudopodia and in the mechanism of feeding (mainly by engulfment). It possesses two distinctive regions in helix E10_1 (nucleotides 117 to 119, CAA) and E23_1 (nucleotides 522 and 523, AG) of the 18S rRNA gene. It did not form a monophyletic group with Leptophrys in molecular phylogenetic trees. We establish a new genus, Vernalophrys , with the type species Vernalophrys algivore . The occurrence, impact of the amoeba on mass culture of S. dimorphus , and means to reduce vampyrellid amoeba contamination in Scenedesmus cultures are addressed. The information obtained from this study will be useful for developing an early warning system and control measures for preventing or treating this contaminant in microalgal mass cultures.

It has long been explored to use EPA-rich unicellular microalgae as a fish oil alternative for production of the high-value omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5, n-3). However, none of the efforts have ever reached commercial success. This study reported a filamentous yellow-green microalga Tribonema aequale that possesses the ability to grow rapidly and synthesize significant amounts of EPA. A series of studies were conducted in a glass column photobioreactor under laboratory culture conditions and in pilot-scale open raceway ponds outdoors. The emphasis was placed on the specific nutrient requirements and the key operational parameters in raceway ponds such as culture depth and mixing regimes. When optimized, T. aequale cells contained 2.9% of EPA (w/w) and reached a very high biomass concentration of 9.8 g L⁻¹ in the glass column photobioreactor. The cellular EPA content was increased further to 3.5% and the areal biomass and EPA productivities of 16.2 g m⁻² d⁻¹ and 542.5 mg m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively, were obtained from the outdoor pilot-scale open raceway ponds, which were the record high figures reported thus far from microalgae-based EPA production. It was also observed that T. aequale was highly resistant to microbial contamination and easy for harvesting and dewatering, which provide two additional competitive advantages of this filamentous microalga over the unicellular counterparts for potential commercial production of EPA and other derived co-products.

Contamination by zooplankton has to a certain extent limited the large-scale cultivation and industrial exploitation of microalgae. However, systematic research on these predators in microalgal culture is still lacking. The identification of zooplanktonic contaminants derived from microalgal cultures is a basis for conducting related studies. Moreover, knowledge of the ecological distribution of such predators is crucial for avoiding or reducing the risk of biological contamination in the management of large-scale microalgal cultures. Understanding the feeding behaviors of zooplanktonic contaminants contributes to the establishment of targeted prevention strategies and control methods. Early detection is essential to allow prevention and control measures to be implemented in a timely and effective way. Reducing the susceptibility of the cultured microalgae to predators through breeding strains selection, the potential of modern molecular methods, or a synthesis of these approaches will be indispensable to the management of zooplankton contamination. Furthermore, exploring the resource utilization of predators helps to understand this issue comprehensively and to turn hazard into wealth. The genus Poterioochromonas is a typical mixotrophic flagellate and has attracted increasing attention because of the dramatic damage it can inflict on a wide range of microalgal cultures, regardless of the culture system, season, or environment. This review explores our current understanding of the predator Poterioochromonas and the areas where further research is needed, which should stimulate reflection on what we still need to know about these predators from a microalgal culture perspective and how we can utilize them.

The diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum is considered a promising "cell factory" for high-value products fucoxanthin and EPA. But its potential has not been realized due largely to microbial contamination. In this study, seven protozoan strains were identified, of which a heterolobosean amoeba was identified as the most frequently occurring and destructive predator in P. tricornutum culture. The addition of 400 mg L-1 NH4HCO3 inhibited amoeba proliferation with little impact on algal growth. Halting culture mixing at night induced a hypoxia environment that further inhibited amoeba growth. Regardless of culture systems employed, a periodical supply of proper amounts of NH4HCO3 alone or in combination with halting culture mixing at night may prevent or treat protozoa contamination in mass culture of P. tricornutum.

Extant eukaryote ecology is primarily sustained by oxygenic photosynthesis, in which chlorophylls play essential roles. The exceptional photosensitivity of chlorophylls allows them to harvest solar energy for photosynthesis, but on the other hand, they also generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species. A risk of such phototoxicity of the chlorophyll must become particularly prominent upon dynamic cellular interactions that potentially disrupt the mechanisms that are designed to quench photoexcited chlorophylls in the phototrophic cells. Extensive examination of a wide variety of phagotrophic, parasitic, and phototrophic microeukaryotes demonstrates that a catabolic process that converts chlorophylls into nonphotosensitive 13²,17³-cyclopheophorbide enols (CPEs) is phylogenetically ubiquitous among extant eukaryotes. The accumulation of CPEs is identified in phagotrophic algivores belonging to virtually all major eukaryotic assemblages with the exception of Archaeplastida, in which no algivorous species have been reported. In addition, accumulation of CPEs is revealed to be common among phototrophic microeukaryotes (i.e., microalgae) along with dismantling of their secondary chloroplasts. Thus, we infer that CPE-accumulating chlorophyll catabolism (CACC) primarily evolved among algivorous microeukaryotes to detoxify chlorophylls in an early stage of their evolution. Subsequently, it also underpinned photosynthetic endosymbiosis by securing close interactions with photosynthetic machinery containing abundant chlorophylls, which led to the acquisition of secondary chloroplasts. Our results strongly suggest that CACC, which allowed the consumption of oxygenic primary producers, ultimately permitted the successful radiation of the eukaryotes throughout and after the late Proterozoic global oxygenation.

To explore the impacts of multiple environmental stressors on animal communities in aquatic ecosystems, we selected protozoa—a highly sensitive group of organisms—to assess the effect of environmental change. To conduct this simulation we conducted a three-factor, outdoor, mesocosm experiment from March to November 2021. Changes in the community structure and functional group composition of protozoan communities under the separate and combined effects of these three environmental stressors were investigated by warming and the addition of nitrogen, phosphorus, and pesticides. The results were as follows: (1) Both eutrophication and pesticides had a considerable promotional effect on the abundance and biomass of protozoa; the effect of warming was not considerable. When warming was combined with eutrophication and pesticides, there was a synergistic effect and antagonistic effect, respectively. (2) Eutrophication promoted α diversity of protozoa and affected their species richness and dominant species composition; the combination of warming and pesticides remarkably reduced the α diversity of protozoa. (3) Warming, eutrophication, and pesticides were important factors affecting the functional groups of protozoa. Interaction among different environmental factors could complicate changes in the aquatic ecological environment and its protozoan communities. Indeed, in the context of climate change, it might be more difficult to predict future trends in the protozoan community. Therefore, our results provide a scientific basis for the protection and restoration of shallow lake ecosystems; they also offer valuable insights in predicting changes in shallow lakes.