Editorial: Advances in Microalgae Biology and Sustainable Applications

The further development of our societies will undoubtedly face many challenges, but currently we have the capacity, and the duty, to look for environmentally sustainable solutions to these challenges. In order to do so we must dedicate efforts toward the development of processes for the sustainable production of chemicals and energy. Microalgae are receiving increasing attention as candidates to develop sustainable processes; they have been proposed as feedstock for several purposes, such as energy production, biosynthesis of nutraceuticals, animal feed and bioremediation, to mention just a few (Skjanes et al., 2013; Wijffels et al., 2013). Recent understanding of diverse aspects of microalgae biology have revealed important differences at the cellular level between them and land plants (Perez-Garcia et al., 2011; Liu and Benning, 2013). The microalgae characteristics of unicellularity and mixotrophy, are of special interest for potential industrial applications (Lowrey et al., 2016). All of the above, is positioning microalgae as a viable solution for the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals (Skjanes et al., 2013; Moody et al., 2014). Within this Frontiers research topic, we aimed to show important advances in the understanding of microalgae biology and the opportunities to translate basic knowledge into sustainable applications. The articles making this collection highlight how different scientific areas should come together for the successful use of microalgae biomass in sustainable applications. Here you will find articles ranging from bioprospecting regional microalgae species, through advances in microalgae molecular physiology to the development of techniques for characterization of biomass and the use of biomass into agriculture and bioenergy production. In this special research topic, Duong et al. tapped into the biodiversity of microalgae in aquatic Australian environments, resulting in the identification of the growth and lipid content in 16 novel isolates, from five different species (Duong et al.). The further understanding of how microalgae cells can survive on aquatic environments implies understanding the mechanisms of nutrient assimilation. This was what Sanz-Luque et al. exemplified to us in a review of nitrate assimilation and its regulation in microalgae (Sanz-Luque et al.). Notably, the study presented in Eitzinger et al. highlighted the identification of over 40 novel proteins that make part of the eyespot, i.e., a specialized optical device, and a complex pool of methylated proteins, in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, contributing to a better understanding of the primordial visual system of microalgae and its possible connection to light responses (Eitzinger et al.).