Assessing the potential of polyculture to accelerate algal biofuel production
| Autor: | Deborah T. Newby, Bradley D. Wahlen, Teresa J. Mathews, Ron Pate, Jon B. Shurin, Robert K. Engler, Michael H. Huesemann, Shovon Mandal, Todd W. Lane, Kevin P. Feris |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Biodiversity Biomass Plant Biology 010501 environmental sciences Biology 01 natural sciences Industrial Biotechnology 03 medical and health sciences Culture resilience 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Ecological stability Community Ecology business.industry Overyielding Chemical Engineering Algae fuel Algal biofuel 030104 developmental biology Algal polyculture Productivity (ecology) Agriculture Monoculture business Agronomy and Crop Science |
| Zdroj: | Newby, DT; Mathews, TJ; Pate, RC; Huesemann, MH; Lane, TW; Wahlen, BD; et al.(2016). Assessing the potential of polyculture to accelerate algal biofuel production. ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS, 19, 264-277. doi: 10.1016/j.algal.2016.09.004. UC San Diego: Retrieved from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/2xs4z036 ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS, vol 19 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.algal.2016.09.004. |
| Popis: | To date, the algal biofuel industry has focused on the cultivation of monocultures of highly productive algal strains, but scaling up production remains challenging. Algal monocultures are difficult to maintain because they are easily contaminated by wild algal strains, grazers, and pathogens. In contrast, theory suggests that polycultures (multispecies assemblages) can promote both ecosystem stability and productivity. A greater understanding of species interactions and how communities change with time needs to be developed. Ultimately a predictive model of community interactions is needed to harness the capacity of biodiversity to enhance productivity of algal polycultures at industrial scales. Here we review the agricultural and ecological literature to explore opportunities for increased annual biomass production through the use of algal polycultures. We discuss case studies where algal polycultures have been successfully maintained for industries other than the biofuel industry, as well as the few studies that have compared biomass production of algal polycultures to that of monocultures. Assemblages that include species with complementary traits are of particular promise. These assemblages have the potential to increase crop productivity and stability presumably by utilizing natural resources (e.g. light, nutrients, and water) more efficiently via tighter niche packing. Therefore, algal polycultures show promise for enhancing biomass productivity, enabling sustainable production and reducing overall production costs. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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