MIAO Wei, director of IHB, joined the journal ACTA HYDROBIOLOGICA SINICA Editorial Board Lecture Series on July 11, 2024. (Credit: IHB)

On the afternoon of July 11, 2024, the second session of the journal ACTA HYDROBIOLOGICA SINICA Editorial Board Lecture Series was held, featuring MIAO Wei, director of the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and deputy editor-in-chief of the journal, as the keynote speaker. Miao delivered a lecture titled "Genetic Diversity and Resource Utilization of Protists."

Protists, a diverse group of unicellular eukaryotes including algae and protozoa, play crucial roles in ecological balance, nutrient cycling, environmental health, and disease transmission in plants and animals. In his lecture, Miao introduced the concept, characteristics, and ecological significance of protists, while highlighting the scarcity of genomic research on these organisms.

He then introduced his team's "10,000 Protist Genomes Project," which has developed and established essential research methods and technologies, ranging from morphological classification and single-cell sequencing to large-scale omics data analysis and metagenomic data mining. The project has led to the creation of a protist germplasm and genetic resource repository.

Scientific journals are vital platforms for original innovation and knowledge dissemination. Since its inception in 1955, the journal ACTA HYDROBIOLOGICA SINICA has adhered to its mission of addressing national strategic needs and promoting the development of aquatic biology. The journal has consistently upheld academic integrity and served China’s environmental conservation and sustainable fisheries development.