Microalgae: A Promising Future

Microalgae are photosynthetic unicellular microorganisms that represent an extremely important component of the aquatic ecosystem productivity, diversity, and functioning. Particularly, phytoplankton, adapted to live in suspension in water masses, provide about half (49%) of the global net primary production in marine and freshwater systems. Moreover, microalgae exhibit a high diversity and include species highly distant from an evolutionary point of view. On the other hand, among microalgae, cyanobacteria are one of the most investigated microorganisms for biotechnological purposes, as three reports of the Special Issue demonstrate. In the Special Issue “A Glimpse into Future Research on Microalgae Diversity, Ecology and Biotechnology”, studies aimed to improve knowledge on the effects of climate changes on phytoplankton communities’ composition and dynamics in freshwater and brackish ecosystems. The editors hope that the data reported in this Special Issue could represent a useful reference for researchers and managers interested in microalgae and their biotechnological applications.