Microzooplankton Affecting Lower and Upper Food-Web Dynamics in Changing Aquatic Systems
A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Diversity".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 16395
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
While knowledge on biodiversity and food web interactions in the plankton has increased considerably during the last decades, community composition, seasonality/biodiversity patterns, and the trophic role of small-sized protozoan (e.g., ciliates and dinoflagellates) and metazoan grazers (e.g., copepod nauplii, meroplanktonic larvae) at the base of planktonic food-webs remain poorly understood. Microzooplankton is considered as a primary grazer of phytoplankton, with a crucial role as a trophic intermediary between primary producers and mesozooplankton (copepods, meroplanktonic larvae, ichthyoplankton). However, ecological studies on microzooplankton are often challenged by difficulties in taxonomic identification, time-consuming analytical efforts, and the necessity of sampling efforts at a high spatial and temporal resolution. This Special Issue aims at stressing the relevance of microzooplankton in aquatic systems in terms of biodiversity and ecological function in the pelagic realm in order to understand and parameterize this component of the plankton properly in ecological and predictive models. Special emphasis will be on studies addressing changes in planktonic systems in the light of climate change, thus taking the strong thermal and functional responses of microzooplankton into account. Contributions from marine and freshwater microzooplankton research are invited, ranging from field and experimental approaches, molecular/traditional taxonomy, ecology, modeling, environmental sciences, and climate change biology. The objective of the Special Issue is to enhance our understanding on the role of microzooplankton in aquatic systems, to tackle challenges and develop perspectives for future microzooplankton research.
Dr. Nicole Aberle-Malzahn
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 2100 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
- pelagic food webs
- plankton
- trophic dynamics
- zooplankton
- microbial loop
- predator–prey interactions
- energy transfer
- biodiversity
- protozoa
- meroplanktonic larvae
- molecular taxonomy
- traditional taxonomy
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
