Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a disruptive form of pollution, impacting physiological and behavioural processes that may scale up to population and community levels. Evidence from terrestrial habitats show that the severity and type of impact depend on the wavelength and intensity of ALAN; however, research on marine organisms is still limited. Here, we experimentally investigated the effect of different ALAN colours on marine primary producers. We tested the effect of green (525 nm), red (624 nm) and broad-spectrum white LED ALAN, compared to a dark control, on the green microalgaeTetraselmis suecicaand a diatom assemblage. We show that green ALAN boosted chlorophyll production and abundance inT. suecica. All ALAN wavelengths affected assemblage biomass and diversity, with red and green ALAN having the strongest effects, leading to higher overall abundance and selective dominance of specific diatom species, some known to cause harmful algal blooms. Our findings show that green and red ALAN should be used with caution as alternative LED colours in coastal areas, where there might be a need to strike a balance between the effects of green and red light on marine primary producers with the benefit they appear to bring to other organisms.

The alarming pace of species extinction severely threatens terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, undermining the crucial ecological services vital for environmental sustainability and human well-being. Anthropogenic activities, such as urbanization, agriculture, industrialization, and those inducing climate change, intensify these risks, further imperiling biodiversity. Of particular importance are aquatic organisms, pivotal in biodiscovery and biotechnology. They contribute significantly to natural product chemistry, drug development, and various biotechnological applications. To safeguard these invaluable resources, establishing and maintaining aquatic biomaterial repositories (ABRs) is imperative. This review explores the complex landscape of ABRs, emphasizing the need for standardized procedures from collection to distribution. It identifies key legislative and regulatory frameworks, such as the Nagoya Protocol and EU directives, essential for ensuring responsible and equitable biorepository operations. Drawing on extensive literature and database searches, this study compiles existing recommendations and practices into a cohesive framework with which to guide the establishment and sustainable management of ABRs. Through collaborative efforts and adherence to best practices, ABRs can play a transformative role in the future of marine biotechnology and environmental conservation.

Macroalgae are increasingly studied for their critical contributions to coastal ecosystems, their potential to mitigate climate change, and their promise as a sustainable food source. While wild macroalgae host diverse epiphytic and invertebrate epibiont communities that enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, biofouling epibionts on farmed macroalgae can negatively impact growth, physiology, and product quality. Although an increasing number of longitudinal studies are trying to establish the drivers of macroalgae biofouling, localized approaches lack sufficient contrasts in environmental conditions to reveal macroecological patterns in epibiont occurrence. To gain these contrasts, we analyze data on macroalgae and epibiont taxonomy, study location, and environmental conditions that we have compiled from a systematic literature review and from Marine Copernicus and NASA‐OBPG databases of marine data. Our results show that 58.18% of macroalgae epibiont studies focus on the North‐East Atlantic coast, which is particularly useful in understanding the potential for the expansion of seaweed aquaculture in this region. Bryozoan fouling depends on sea surface temperature (SST) and an increased biofouling risk was predicted for latitudes greater than 58° in the NE Atlantic coast and around coastal areas in Scotland with cold freshwater inflows. Hydrozoans and gastropods showed a higher probability of occurring on farmed or planted as opposed to wild kelp, whereas gastropods tended to be absent at salinities lower than 30 psu. Our findings provide a first basis for understanding seaweed biofouling risks in the North‐East Atlantic and can serve for the spatial planning of the positioning of new seaweed farms.

Microplastics are an increasingly prevalent form of pollution in coastal ecosystems. Current research focuses on understanding the impacts of such synthetic particles on the health and functioning of aquatic organisms. Recent studies have shown that invertebrates can accumulate microplastics in their tissue, impacting key functions such as growth, reproduction, feeding activity, and metabolism. Owing to their chemical composition, microplastics accumulating in the digestive tract of animals may alter the diversity and abundance of microbiota. Despite the important implications of such microbiota shifts on digestive ability and fitness, investigations on microplastics as causative agents are so far limited. In this study, we tested the effect of microfibers, on the digestive gland microbiota of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis after a 52-day exposure. Our findings show that exposure to microplastics can alter the composition of the digestive gland microbiota, with significant decreases in the classes of Actinobacteria, Bacteroidia, and significant increases for Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria. Furthermore, an increase in the number of genera containing potential pathogenic species for bivalves, such as Francisella and Vibrio, was detected. This suggests that accumulated microplastics pose a dual threat to filter-feeding organisms and the ecosystem services they provide. Further comparative studies are necessary to establish whether the microbiota shift is linked to the specific chemical composition of microplastics or whether there is an indirect link such as physiological stress resulting from ingestion.

This study addresses the need for rapid, in situ detection of volatile organic compounds associated with oil contamination in aquatic environments. Membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) offers a direct, continuous monitoring approach without the need for chromatographic separation, making it suitable for real-time environmental analysis. In this work, a portable MIMS system was deployed at multiple pilot sites, including a fixed buoy platform, to evaluate its capability for detecting selected hydrocarbon target compounds under field conditions. Measurements were conducted over extended periods, and mass spectral data were continuously recorded and analyzed. Across all monitoring campaigns, no signals corresponding to the target analytes were observed above the established limits of detection. These findings demonstrate the robustness of the applied MIMS configuration for continuous environmental monitoring and confirm its suitability for detecting trace-level pollutants when present. The results also highlight the importance of field validation under realistic conditions, providing a basis for further optimization and broader application of MIMS in environmental surveillance.