News from the Phycology Section 2025

From March 9^th to 12^th, 2025, the 21^st scientific conference of the Phycology Section of the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) took place in the venerable halls of the "Alte Mensa" at the University of Göttingen. The conference was organized by Dr. Maike Lorenz, Prof. Jan de Vries, Prof. Thomas Friedl, and Dr. Janine Fürst-Jansen (University of Göttingen), and provided over 120 participants from Germany and abroad an opportunity to present and discuss their current research in the field of algal studies. A wide range of phycological topics was covered in 44 talks and 50 posters. Most of these contributions were presented by PhD students and postdocs and stood out for their high scientific quality. One of the many highlights was the visit to the University of Göttingen's Culture Collection of Algae (SAG) on the final day of the conference. Additionally, participants had the opportunity to explore Göttingen’s historic old town through guided tours in both German and English, with many references to the university city's fascinating history.

To inspire early interest in algal research, our Section bianually awards the High School Student Prize. This year, the prize was awarded to Maddox Srey-Ouch and Witalij Plett from the Immanuel-Kant-Gymnasium and the Student Research Center (Schülerforschungszentrum) in Tuttlingen (Baden-Württemberg) for their biotechnology project “Photopower – Energy from Algae.”

During our biannual Phycology Conference members elected new speakers and board members. Three long-standing board members did not stand for re-election: Dr. Thomas Leya, Prof. Severin Sasso, and Dr. Charlotte Permann. The new acting board will be in office for the next two years and consists of: 

Prof. Andreas Holzinger (1^st Speaker), Jun.-Prof. Karin Glaser (2^nd Speaker), Dr. Maike Lorenz (Treasurer), Jun.-Prof. Klaus Herburger (Secretary), Prof. Claudia Büchel (1^st Accessor), Prof. Peter Kroth (Representative in the Federation of European Phycological Societies (FEPS) and 2^nd Accessor) and Dr. Vivien Hotter (Graduate Representative). 

The newly discovered algae species Streptofilum arcticum possesses a potentially highly flexible cell wall: When water is scarce, the cell and cell wall shrink; when water becomes available again, the cell wall expands without causing damage. This function explains the evolutionary transition from water to land and provides the algae with advantages in climate adaptation. An international research team led by TU Bergakademie Freiberg, the Universities of Rostock and Innsbruck, and the National Academy Institute in Kyiv has described the species and its cell functions for the first time in a recent publication in the scientific journal Environmental Microbiology. To date, researchers have identified the new algae species in the Arctic tundra on Svalbard and in coastal dunes along the Baltic Sea, indicating a broader regional distribution than previously assumed.