Biodiversity of Microalgae With Emphasis on Practical Importance — A Review

Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Guilan, Iran

Abstract: Microalgae are a very diverse and important group of microscopic aquatic plants that have wide applications in biotechnology today. These microscopic photosynthesizers, which play an effective role in the production of oxygen on the planet, due to their high distribution and abundance, are found in almost all waters on earth and even exist in terrestrial ecosystems. These organisms have attracted the attention of many researchers in recent years to create bioactive compounds and products with high added value and have been widely used in various industries. Therefore, it is very necessary to discover and better understand the biodiversity and ecophysiological characteristics of microalgae to increase their use for practical purposes. This article aims to review the biodiversity of marine microalgae and to express their importance in various fields. The literature that was reviewed for clarifying the issue and writing this article, was conducted using Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus and Research Gate. The results of this study state that microalgae have anti-viral, anti-cancer, anti-HIV, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activities. Due to their unique abilities, they have many applications in various industries such as feed (nutritional additives for livestock and aquatic animals and the production of food supplements for humans), fertilizers, medicine, and cosmetics. Also, biological treatment of wastewater, removal of heavy elements from the environment, moderation of global warming, production of biofuels and environmental measurement of pollutants are their environmental applications.