Phycology is the branch of biological sciences dedicated to the study of algae, encompassing their taxonomy, morphology, physiology, life cycles, genetics, ecology, and evolutionary relationships. It addresses both microalgae (e.g., diatoms, dinoflagellates, green microalgae) and macroalgae (seaweeds across green, brown, and red algal lineages). Phycologists investigate algal primary production, photobiology, and pigment systems, as well as their roles in biogeochemical cycles, aquatic food webs, and symbioses. The discipline also underpins applied research on algal biotechnology, including biofuels, bioremediation, nutraceuticals, and the production of industrially relevant metabolites such as polysaccharides and pigments.
At the icy, wind-swept tip of South America lies Inútil Bay, a remote marine environment in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago that has long guarded its underwater secrets because of severe logistical and meteorological challenges. ...
Ecology
Jun 22, 2026
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5
Rhodoliths may look like small rocks on the seafloor, but they are actually living algae that create habitats for marine life and contribute to long-term carbon storage. A new study found that the deeper, low-light waters ...
Ecology
Jun 9, 2026
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26
New research from the University of Victoria (UVic) has found that some kelp forests around Vancouver Island were disappearing far earlier than scientists previously thought, highlighting that climate change has been altering ...
Ecology
Jun 8, 2026
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35
Intensive agriculture poses a significant threat to global biodiversity. However, one aspect of biodiversity in farmland is little studied: algae. Most people have seen algae growing in streams, lakes or the sea. However, ...
Ecology
May 18, 2026
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19
Scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography have uncovered new insights into the bioluminescence of a unique species of marine plankton that feeds on other plankton, including the harmful algae responsible ...
Ecology
Apr 29, 2026
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15
Along the southern coastline, researchers dive deep to collect seaweed from kelp forests and rocky platforms, taking small samples and the location of each sample. Back in the lab, the specimens are preserved—some dried, ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 10, 2026
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17
Researchers from several Parisian institutions have worked together to develop a non-destructive approach to study how unicellular organisms respond to stress, focusing on cell-to-cell differences. Working together, the researchers ...
Biotechnology
Mar 24, 2026
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43
Rising sea temperatures are causing coral reefs around the world to bleach. For the first time, a research team at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has ...
Ecology
Feb 25, 2026
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12
Researchers at University of Tsukuba have decoded the nuclear genome of Amorphochlora amoebiformis, a unicellular marine alga belonging to the chlorarachniophyte group.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 19, 2025
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17
A habitat-building coralline algae that provides a vital nursing ground for marine species and an important blue carbon ecosystem has been genetically mapped around south-west Britain in a first-of-its-kind study.
Plants & Animals
Nov 17, 2025
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17
