The research suggests there are many new species yet to be discovered – with potential implications for marine biodiversity and food security.
The world faces multiple challenges from population growth to threats to agricultural production. Due to a lack of land, the impact of environmental and anthropogenic change on coastlines, and shallow seas around the world, there is an increasing need for seaweed species and strains which could be brought into aquaculture - the farming of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic plants, algae, and other organisms.
The red algal genus Pyropia sensu lato includes several species of economic importance to China, Japan and Korea where they are farmed for nori, an aquaculture crop that when processed is the black wrapping used in sushi.
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