Special Issue "Biodiversity and Ecology of Gelatinous Zooplankton"
A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Diversity".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 444
Special Issue Editor
Interests: marine biology; zooplankton; evolutionary ecology; climate-driven range shifts; taxonomy; gelatinous zooplankton; amphipod crustaceans
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Gelatinous zooplankton group different taxa (ctenophores, cnidarian medusae and pelagic tunicates), which are phylogenetically distant but have watery and fragile bodies in common. Their soft tissues are easily destroyed with traditional net sampling, and they are rapidly digested in predator stomachs; hence, the biomass of gelatinous zooplankton has systematically been underestimated, and their role in the ecosystem and food web has been oversimplified. Only recently, the application of different sampling techniques, in situ observations and modern molecular methods provides a more comprehensive understanding of gelatinous zooplankton diversity and also shows that they act as prey for various predators. This Special Issue aims to fill in several knowledge gaps that still persist with regards to gelatinous zooplankton distribution patterns, ecological niches and trophic ecology, as well as their genetic diversity and evolutionary histories. Many species are notorious for their boom-and-bust-cycles and their capabilities to form massive blooms, impacting human activities such as fisheries and tourism. These complex life cycles and fluctuating population dynamics hamper our understanding of climate-driven impacts on gelatinous zooplankton population trends and distributions. Therefore, this Special Issue also addresses life cycle dynamics, as well as adaptation of gelatinous zooplankton populations and their resilience to ongoing and predicted environmental changes.
Dr. Charlotte Havermans
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- jellyfish (Cnidaria, Ctenophora)
- pelagic tunicates
- diversity and distribution patterns
- optical methods
- trophic interactions
- DNA barcoding and genetic connectivity
- life history and population dynamics
- evolutionary history
- adaptation and resilience to environmental changes
