Pterocladiella capillacea has been economically exploited for agar extraction in the Azores for many years. Harvesting dropped to a full stop in the early 1990s due to a population collapse, but restarted in 2013. Since then it has been intensively harvested and overexploitation must be prevented, with both sustainable harvesting and effective cultivation practices. This study represents the first attempt to de...
In coastal waters around the world, the dominant primary producers are benthic macrophytes, including seagrasses and macroalgae, that provide habitat structure and food for diverse and abundant biological communities and drive ecosystem processes. Seagrass meadows and macroalgal forests play key roles for coastal societies, contributing to fishery yields, storm protection, biogeochemical cycling and storage, an...
Kelp forests represent some of the most conspicuous coastal habitats and today we recognize only one giant kelp species (Macrocystis pyrifera) distributed globally [1, 2]. M. pyrifera is recognized as a perennial kelp species with a low capacity of energy storage, whereas its high productivity is associated the availability of nitrogen from the water column [3]. The relation between M. pyrifera growth and bioma...
As macroalgas marinhas têm uma grande diversidade de aplicações. Nos Açores, várias espécies têm sido usadas tradicionalmente para alimentação humana e para extração de agar, um ficocolóide aplicado na indústria alimentar e farmacêutica. As exigências no controlo da qualidade das matérias-primas e as práticas atuais de colheita de macroalgas marinhas selvagens na Europa exigem uma gestão eficaz deste recurso na...
As macroalgas marinhas têm sido largamente usadas para diversos fins. Nos Açores, várias espécies têm sido usadas tradicionalmente na alimentação humana (e.g. Fucus spiralis, Porphyra spp., Laurencia spp. e Osmundea spp.) e para extracção de compostos com interesse na indústria dos ficocolóides (Pterocladiella capilacea e Gelidium spp.). As exigências no controlo da qualidade e as práticas actuais de colheita d...