Seaweeds, also known as macroalgae, are among the most important primary producers and act as ecological engineers on rocky coasts of the world's oceans. In addition to their extreme ecological importance they are also of high economic relevance. Complementing available textbooks with its more research-oriented approach, this volume contains 22 chapters by renowned experts, grouped in five parts. In Part I fundamental processes and acclimation strategies of seaweeds towards the abiotic environment are covered. Part II focuses on the multitude of biotic interactions in seaweed communities, and in Part III the reader is introduced to the structure and function of the main seaweed systems of the world. The chapters of Part IV highlight and discuss the effects of global and local environmental changes on seaweeds and their communities. In the final Part V a comprehensive overview of developments in seaweed aquaculture, industrial applications and the overall economic importance of seaweeds is provided. Summarizing the advances in seaweed biology achieved within the last few decades, this book also identifies gaps in the present knowledge and needs for future research.

Physiological and photomorphogenic effects of light on marine macrophytes

Morpho-functionality of carbon metabolism in seaweeds
Seaweed responses to temperature.-Environment and algal nutrition
Seaweed acclimation to salinity and desiccation stress
Seaweed responses to environmental stress: reactive oxygen and antioxidative strategies
Competition, a major factor structuring seaweed communities
Grazers on benthic seaweeds
Chemical ecology of seaweeds
Prokaryotic microbial communities on macroalgae
Intimate associations between epiphytes, endophytes and parasites of seaweeds
Invasive marine seaweeds: Pest or prize?- Seaweeds and their communities in polar regions
Cold temperate seaweed communities of the southern Hemisphere
Warm temperate seaweed communities: A case study of deep water kelp forests from the Alboran Sea (SW Mediterranean Sea) and the Strait of Gibraltar
Macroalgae in tropical marine coastal systems
Floating seaweeds and their communities
Global seaweed biogeography under a changing climate: the prospected effects of temperature
Seaweed responses to Ocean Acidification
Impacts of ozone depletion and solar UV-B radiation on seaweeds
Bottom-up versus top-down control of macroalgal blooms
Seaweed and man.