Temperate Reef Fish Ecology

Dear Colleagues,

Reef fishes have been a study model for multiple disciplines, nurturing the scientific literature for the understanding of behavioral, ecological, and evolutionary processes. This level knowledge has been critical in informing the management, conservation, and use of reef fishes. Many species of fish are caught for human consumption; in fact, one-third of the human population live very close to the coast and reef sites, representing one of the main stressors for reef fish fauna. Therefore, ecological knowledge using reef fishes will help to recognize the values and services that communities provide to humans and to inform appropriate management and conservation strategies. However, ecological information on many of the described processes has been demonstrated in tropical reef fishes, but corresponding patterns and mechanisms remain poorly understood in temperate regions. Furthermore, research has mainly been concentrated on shallow reef habitats, leaving aside those mesophotic reefs (where light penetrates sufficiently to support photosynthesis) which can represent refuge areas for overexploited reef fish species from shallow environments and may characterize unique habitats supporting many new species, functions, and species traits. Not restricted to temperate or mesophotic ecosystems, this Special Issue aims to explore new advances in the understanding of reef fish ecology, fish behavior, diet, reproduction and mating systems, spatial use and movement, links and habitat use, as well as historical and ecological processes of reef fishes as models to underpin the challenges of the new decades.

Dr. Alejandro Perez Matus
Dr. Ricardo Beldade
Guest Editors

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.

• fish species traits
• fish behavior
• patterns of reef fish species richness
• mesophotic reef fish assemblages
• shallow reef fish assemblages
• ecological interactions
• phylogeny
• habitat use and movement
• management, conservation, and policy