Marine Biotechnology & Aquaculture Research Group - MBA RG

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Our researchers 👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 have published a new study presenting an ex-situ growth protocol for Pontederia crassipes 🌿, one of the world's most widespread and problematic aquatic invasive plants.

This study describes the conditions required to successfully cultivate P. crassipes from stolons under laboratory conditions, providing a standardized methodology that aims to improve the reproducibility of experiments and facilitate comparisons between studies.

🌱 The protocol supports future research on invasion ecology and phytoremediation while promoting the principles of OpenScience by making reliable and reproducible methodologies available to researchers worldwide.

📖 Read the full article here:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2026.103800




CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar

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Our researchers 👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 have published a new study exploring the global distribution and biomass patterns of Pontederia crassipes (water hyacinth) 🌿, one of the world's most problematic invasive alien species.

Using a systematic review and bibliometric analysis, this study compiled the available scientific knowledge on the biomass of P. crassipes, identified the main research trends and existing knowledge gaps, and compared the environmental variables most frequently associated with this species across its native and invasive ranges. The results also highlight environmental patterns that may contribute to its invasive success and emphasize the importance of methodological standardization to improve comparisons between studies conducted worldwide.

🌍 These findings provide valuable insights into the factors driving the spread of P. crassipes, supporting future research while contributing to more effective management and conservation strategies for aquatic ecosystems.

📖 Read the full article here:
doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2026.1703625




CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar

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Our researchers 👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 published a new study exploring how post-harvest drying methods affect the lipid composition of two edible halophytes: sea asparagus (Salicornia ramosissima) and sea purslane (Atriplex portulacoides). 🌿🌊

By combining GC–MS and LC–MS/MS lipidomics, the study compared freeze-drying, oven-drying and sun-drying. Although total lipid content remained unchanged, the different methods significantly altered the plants’ lipid profiles.

Sun-drying caused the most pronounced changes, including reductions in esterified polyunsaturated fatty acids and membrane phospholipids. Oven-drying better preserved complex lipids, while freeze-drying provided the greatest overall preservation of lipid composition.

These findings highlight why selecting an appropriate drying method is essential to preserve the nutritional quality of halophytes and support their use as sustainable functional food ingredients.

📎 Find out more at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2026.150514


CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar

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Our researchers 👩🏻‍🔬👨‍🔬have published a new study exploring how thermal limits in the 🦐marine shrimp Palaemon varians vary across developmental stages, s*x, and reproductive status.

The findings reveal that developmental constraints and reproductive investment are critical factors to consider when assessing species’ thermal limits, highlighting key windows of vulnerability throughout the life cycle.

📎Find out more at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2026.104540


CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar

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Our researchers 👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 published a new review exploring why Anisakis parasites are becoming an increasing concern for seafood safety and public health.

By bringing together evidence from across the Atlantic, the study highlights how climate change, changing marine ecosystems, improved parasite detection, and The growing consumption of raw seafood are all contributing to this emerging challenge.

The findings highlight why protecting seafood safety requires a better understanding of the links between ocean health, fisheries and human behaviour.

Discover how science can help keep seafood both sustainable and safe.



📎Find out more at: https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70111


CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar

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Our researchers 👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 have published a new study in Frontiers in Marine Science exploring how photosynthetic sea slugs preserve and remodel chloroplast lipids after stealing chloroplasts from the algae they feed on—a remarkable phenomenon known as kleptoplasty. 🌿🐌

Using high-resolution together with pigment analysis, we found that:

🌿 Sea slug kleptoplasts retained the characteristic pigment profile of their algal donors, confirming the preservation of functional chloroplasts;

🧬 Glycolipid signatures closely resembled those of the donor algae, demonstrating that chloroplast membranes largely maintain their algal identity after sequestration;

🔄 Despite this conservation, chloroplast membrane lipids were selectively remodelled within the sea slug cells, suggesting structural adaptations after incorporation into the animal host;

🐌 Betaine lipids displayed a remarkably conserved composition across all sea slug species, regardless of the algal diet, highlighting the role of host-specific lipid regulation;

🌊 Phytosterol composition was better preserved in sea slugs feeding on Bryopsis sp. than in those feeding on Acetabularia acetabulum, revealing that the algal source influences chloroplast lipid remodelling.

These findings provide new insights into how sea slugs maintain stolen chloroplasts functional inside their own cells, helping to explain one of the most fascinating examples of photosynthesis in the animal kingdom.

📄 Read the full article:
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1844230


CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar

Our researchers 👩‍🔬 published a new study investigating how siphonous green protect their photosynthetic machinery under high and fluctuating light conditions ☀️🌊

The study compared Bryopsis sp. and Acetabularia acetabulum, two morphologically similar green macroalgae with contrasting photoprotective strategies.

Using chlorophyll fluorescence, pigment analysis, oxygen evolution measurements and Photosystem I kinetics, we found that:

🌿 The two macroalgae showed similar levels of Photosystem II photoinhibition under constant and fluctuating high light;

🔄 Bryopsis sp. displayed slower Photosystem II recovery following high-light exposure;

⚡ High light reduced electron transfer rates in Bryopsis sp., while stimulating them in A. acetabulum;

🎨 A. acetabulum showed rapid light-induced changes in xanthophyll pigments, whereas these changes were not observed in Bryopsis sp.;

💨 Bryopsis sp. appeared to rely more strongly on oxygen-dependent electron transport pathways, mitochondrial respiration and plastid terminal oxidase for photoprotection;

🌱 The two species also differed in Photosystem I regulation, with Bryopsis sp. showing a lower capacity to maintain P700 in its oxidised state.

These findings reveal that morphologically similar macroalgae can use distinct strategies to cope with excess light and provide new insights into the diversity of photoprotective mechanisms in marine photosynthetic organisms 🌊🌿

📄 Read the full article:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-026-01225-1


CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar