Adaptation and Response of Fish to Environmental Changes

Dear Colleagues,

The fish are the most diverse group of vertebrates on Earth, with more than 34,000 species living in freshwater, saltwater, and the deep ocean, and they are critical to global ecosystems and food supply. They encompass various physiological and ecological adaptations in response to various habitat environments. In order to adapt to the complex and changing living environment, fish have evolved a variety of functional traits, including external morphology, reproductive ability, trophic level,  growth rate, reproductive characteristics, metabolic efficiency, etc., which has been considered as a key factor reflecting the ecological adaptation potential of species. Moreover, the gut microbiome has been recognized as a vital "microbial trait" of fish and is closely related to many characteristics of its host. Thus, it is necessary to deliver valuable insights into behavioral ecology, eco-physiology, population dynamics, and genetics, as well as the monitoring of ecosystems in exploring fish response to rapid environmental change, which provides effective information for fish conservation and ecosystem health. This Special Issue aims to showcase the adaptation and response of freshwater fish to environmental changes.  We invite researchers, scientists, and practitioners to submit original research articles and reviews that address, but which are not limited to, the following topics:

• Fish  population and community;
• Fish habitat;
• Fish eco-physiology;
• Fish behavior monitoring;
• Fish conservation biology;
• Gut microbiome and its insight into differences in fish physiology and behavior;
• Ecological adaptation of fish to human disturbance (e.g., hydroelectric development);
• Responses of fish communities to climate change.

We encourage contributions from interdisciplinary research teams, encompassing fisheries scientists, ecologists, biologists, and policymakers, to provide a comprehensive overview of the field.

Prof. Dr. Jie Li
Dr. Mingdian Liu
Guest Editors

Dr. Yaqiu Liu
Guest Editor Assistant

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. Fishes 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.

• eco-physiology
• behavior monitoring
• ecological adaptation
• climate change
• human activities