Functional Traits of Groundwater Biota as Drivers of Ecosystem Services
A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025
Special Issue Editor
Interests: groundwater ecology; ecotoxicology; copepods; functional traits; groundwater risk assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The ecosystem services (ESs) groundwater biota provides are essential for societal well-being and ecological sustainability. Despite their importance, current methods for measuring and mapping these services remain inconsistent, often lacking the precision to fully capture their value. As key drivers of ecosystem processes and functions, functional traits offer a promising framework to enhance our understanding and quantification of these services.
This Special Issue focuses on the relationship between functional traits and ecosystem services in groundwater ecosystems. Our goal is to highlight existing evidence, synthesize current knowledge, and evaluate how the functional traits of groundwater biota influence ecosystem service provision, both directly and indirectly. We also aim to assess their potential as robust quantitative indicators for ecosystem services.
We encourage submissions based on experimental data, laboratory trials, and applied field research that provide empirical insights into these relationships. Studies incorporating innovative methodologies or exploring practical challenges in trait-based approaches are particularly welcome. Although our primary focus is on original research, we also invite reviews that critically examine existing knowledge or synthesize gaps in understanding.
We are seeking contributions that:
Present experimental or observational data exploring the relationships between functional traits and ecosystem services in groundwater ecosystems.
Identify functional traits that have proven effective as indicators of ecosystem services.
Develop and test methodological advancements for trait-based approaches to ecosystem service assessment.
Dr. Tiziana Di Lorenzo
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. Environments 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 1800 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
- Groundwater ecosystems
- Traits
- Ecosystem services
- Ecological indicators
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