Announcements

Mother Earth is sending us an urgent call to action as nature suffers from the devastating impacts of human activity. Our oceans are choked with plastic and acidifying, while extreme heat, wildfires, and floods have disrupted millions of lives. Climate change, deforestation, unsustainable agriculture, illegal wildlife trade, and other human-driven disruptions are accelerating the destruction of ecosystems and biodiversity. As we mark the third Mother Earth Day within the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, it is clear that healthy ecosystems are vital for all life on Earth. Restoring damaged ecosystems can help end poverty, fight climate change, and prevent mass extinction, but success depends on everyone playing their part. Together, we must act now to heal our planet and secure a sustainable future for generations to come.

On this significant day, we are proud to present a curated collection of articles and initiatives dedicated to groundbreaking research and innovative solutions for protecting and restoring our planet. As we celebrate Mother Earth and reflect on the urgent need for action, these contributions highlight critical efforts to combat climate change, restore ecosystems, and promote sustainability. We invite readers to explore these resources and join us in our shared mission to safeguard the health of our planet for future generations. Together, we can make a lasting impact and ensure a thriving, resilient Earth for all.

Keynote Speakers

“The Conservation of Biodiverse and Threatened Dry Rainforest Plant Communities Is Vital in a Changing Climate”
by Marion Howard, Hilary Pearl, Bill McDonald, Yoko Shimizu, Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava and Alison Shapcott
Conservation 2024, 4(4), 657-684; https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation4040040

“Ten Years of Mediterranean Monk Seal Stranding Records in Greece under the Microscope: What Do the Data Suggest?”
by Maria Solanou, Aliki Panou, Irida Maina, Stefanos Kavadas and Marianna Giannoulaki
Animals 2024, 14(9), 1309; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14091309

“Groundwater Temperature Stripes: A Simple Method to Communicate Groundwater Temperature Variations Due to Climate Change”
by Manuela Lasagna, Elena Egidio and Domenico Antonio De Luca
Water 2024, 16(5), 717; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16050717

“Resilience of an Urban Coastal Ecosystem in the Caribbean: A Remote Sensing Approach in Western Puerto Rico”
by Yadiel Noel Bonilla-Roman and Salvador Francisco Acuña-Guzman
Earth 2024, 5(1), 72-89; https://doi.org/10.3390/earth5010004

“Particulate Matter in the American Southwest: Detection and Analysis of Dust Storms Using Surface Measurements and Ground-Based LIDAR”
by Joscelyne Guzman-Gonzalez, Rosa M. Fitzgerald, Nakul N. Karle, Ricardo K. Sakai and William R. Stockwell
Atmosphere 2024, 15(1), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15010110

“An Imported Environmental Crisis: Plastic Mismanagement in Africa”
by Gilbert Moyen Massa and Vasiliki-Maria Archodoulaki
Sustainability 2024, 16(2), 672; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020672

“The Effect of Habitat on Insect Movements: Experimental Evidence from Wild-Caught Butterflies”
by Matteo Marcantonio, Raluca Voda, Daniele Da Re, Quentin Igot, Roger L. H. Dennis, Aurélien Vielfaure, Sophie O. Vanwambeke and Caroline M. Nieberding
Insects 2023, 14(9), 737; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14090737

“Artificial Reefs around the World: A Review of the State of the Art and a Meta-Analysis of Its Effectiveness for the Restoration of Marine Ecosystems”
by Carolina Bracho-Villavicencio, Helena Matthews-Cascon and Sergio Rossi
Environments 2023, 10(7), 121; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments10070121

“Topography, Slope and Geomorphology’s Influences on Shoreline Dynamics along Dakar’s Southern Coast, Senegal”
by Ibrahima Pouye, Dieudonné Pessièzoum Adjoussi, Jacques André Ndione and Amadou Sall
Coasts 2023, 3(1), 93-112; https://doi.org/10.3390/coasts3010006

“Potential Use of Industrial Biomass Waste as a Sustainable Energy Source in the Future”
by Tomasz Kalak
Energies 2023, 16(4), 1783; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16041783

Animal sciences is a multi-disciplinary and dynamic field dedicated to understanding the biology, management, and sustainable utilization of animals. This discipline encompasses the study of diverse animal species, including livestock, companion animals, wildlife, and aquatic organisms; it also focuses on investigating their physiology, genetics, nutrition, behavior, and health. It also delves into the complex interactions between animals and their environment, exploring their vital roles within ecosystems. By integrating knowledge from various fields such as biology, genetics, nutrition, veterinary medicine, and ecology, animal sciences aims to optimize animal production, improve animal welfare, and address critical challenges related to food security, conservation, and the responsible management of animal populations within the context of a healthy and functioning ecosystem.

MDPI’s animal sciences cluster is designed to be a dynamic hub for cutting-edge research, fostering a comprehensive understanding of the animal kingdom and its vital role in our world. Our mission extends beyond simply publishing; we aim to accelerate the dissemination of discoveries that drive advancements in animal health, welfare, sustainable management, and conservation. This cluster offers authors diverse publishing options, ensuring their research finds the most relevant and impactful audience within the diverse landscape of animal sciences.

The nine participating journals include:

• Animals focuses on any field of study that involves animals, including zoology, ethnozoology, animal science, animal ethics, and animal welfare. Animals is led by Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Clive J. C. Phillips (¹ Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Estonia; ² Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute, Australia);
• Arthropoda focuses on arachnids (mites, scorpions, spiders), myriapods (millipedes, centipedes and allied taxa), pycnogonids, horseshoe crabs and crustaceans. Arthropoda is led by Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sammy De Grave (Oxford University Museum of Natural History, UK);
• Birds focuses on any field of study that involves wild birds, with special emphasis on bird ecology, communities, conservation, and behavioral ecology. Birds is led by Editor-in-Chief Dr. Jukka Jokimäki (Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Finland);
• Insects focuses on the biology, physiology, behavior, and management of arthropods, as well as their interactions with human societies, plants, and ecosystem services. Insects is led by Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Brian T. Forschler (Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, USA);
• Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens includes all aspects of botanical gardens, zoological gardens, natural sciences museums, and other similar institutions. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens is led by Editor-in-Chief Dr. Kevin Cianfaglione (Faculté de Gestion, Economie et Science (FGES), Université Catholique de Lille, France);
• Pets focuses on all aspects of companion animals, including but not limited to their health and disease, veterinary care, nutrition, genetics and genomics, behavior, welfare, and interactions and relations with humans. Pets is led by Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Jan S. Suchodolski (Gastrointestinal Laboratory, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, USA);
• Poultry is a multi-disciplinary journal on the poultry industry throughout the world. Poultry covers a broad spectrum of subjects influencing poultry animals' health, welfare, and productivity. Poultry is led by Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Michael Hess (Clinic for Poultry and Fish Medicine, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria);
• Ruminants focuses on any field of study that involves ruminants, including cattle, all domesticated and wild bovines, goats, sheep, giraffes, deer, gazelles, and antelopes. Ruminants is led by Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Brian J. Leury (Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia);
• Veterinary Sciences focuses on any field of veterinary sciences, including prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. With a strong emphasis on the One Health approach, the journal also explores the interconnectedness of animal, human, and environmental health. Veterinary Sciences is led by Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Patrick Butaye (¹ Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Belgium; ² Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, China).

MDPI’s Mission and Values:

As a pioneer of academic open access publishing, MDPI has served the scientific community since 1996. We aim to foster scientific exchange in all forms across all disciplines. MDPI's guidelines for disseminating open science are based on the following values and guiding principles:

• Open Access—All of our content is published in open access and distributed under a Creative Commons License, providing free access to science and the latest research, allowing articles to be freely shared and content to be re-used with proper attribution;
• Timeliness and Efficiency—Publishing the latest research through thorough editorial work, ensuring a first decision is provided to authors in under 32 days and papers are published within 7-10 days upon acceptance;
• Simplicity—Offering user-friendly tools and services in one place to enhance the efficiency of our editorial process;
• High-Quality Service—Supporting scholars and their work by providing a range of options, such as journal publication at mdpi.com, early publication at preprints.org, and conferences on sciforum.net to positively impact research;
• Flexibility—Adapting and developing new tools and services to meet the research community's changing needs, driven by feedback from authors, editors, and readers;
• Rooted in Sustainability—Ensuring long-term preservation of published papers and supporting the future of science through partnerships, sponsorships, and awards.

By adhering to these values and principles, MDPI remains committed to advancing scientific knowledge and promoting open science practices.

Selected Topics:

• Precision Feeding and Management of Farm Animals, 3rd Edition;
• Research on Companion Animal Nutrition;
• Advances in Infectious and Parasitic Diseases of Animals.

Selected Articles:

Animals
“Effects of Nutritional Factors on Fat Content, Fatty Acid Composition, and Sensorial Properties of Meat and Milk from Domesticated Ruminants: An Overview”
Animals 2024, 14(6), 840; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14060840

Arthropoda
“How Urban-Tolerant Are They? Testing Prey–Capture Behavior of Introduced Jorō Spiders (Trichonephila clavata) Next to Busy Roads”
Arthropoda 2024, 2(1), 55-65; https://doi.org/10.3390/arthropoda2010004

Birds
“Nest Design and Breeding Success: Replicability of Methodologies and Research Findings in Secondary Hole Nesting Passerines”
Birds 2024, 5(2), 278-307; https://doi.org/10.3390/birds5020019

Insects
“Mosquito-Borne Diseases and Their Control Strategies: An Overview Focused on Green Synthesized Plant-Based Metallic Nanoparticles”
Insects 2023, 14(3), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14030221

Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens
“Cetacean Sanctuaries: Do They Guarantee Better Welfare?”
J. Zool. Bot. Gard. 2025, 6(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg6010004

Pets
“The Effects of Dog Behavioural Problems on Owner Well-Being: A Review of the Literature and Future Directions”
Pets 2024, 1(1), 53-69; https://doi.org/10.3390/pets1010007

Poultry
“Impact of Heat Stress on Broiler Chicken Production”
Poultry 2024, 3(2), 107-128; https://doi.org/10.3390/poultry3020010

Ruminants
“Impact of Lameness on Brush Use in a Loose-Housed Dairy System”
Ruminants 2024, 4(3), 375-386; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants4030027

Veterinary Sciences
“Infection and Coinfection of Porcine-Selected Viruses (PPV1 to PPV8, PCV2 to PCV4, and PRRSV) in Gilts and Their Associations with Reproductive Performance”
Vet. Sci. 2024, 11(5), 185; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11050185

In commemoration of International Mother Earth Day, MDPI is organizing a special webinar to bring together researchers and experts to share their thoughts on raising awareness about the importance of environmental protection and addressing pressing global issues such as climate change, ecosystem recovery, and sustainable development.

The theme of the webinar revolves around fostering a deeper understanding of humanity’s role in preserving our planet for future generations, as well as the crucial roles of biodiversity conservation and sustainable practices in preserving our ecosystems for future generations. This webinar will provide a platform for meaningful discussions and knowledge exchange on the importance of climate change and the importance of the recovery of our ecosystems.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the MDPI International Mother Earth Day Webinar 2025. Please find an up-to-date outline of the presenters below.

Any interesting suggestions regarding topics and speakers are welcome.

Date: 22 April 2025
Time: 8:30 a.m. CEST | 4:30 p.m. AEST | 2:30 p.m. CST Asia
Webinar ID: 878 0932 6864

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway and we will inform you when the recording is available to watch.

Register now for free!

Program:

Webinar Speakers:

• Prof. Károly Németh, ¹ National Program of Earthquakes and Volcanoes, Saudi Geological Survey, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; ² Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science, Sopron, Hungary; ³ Geoconservation Trust Aotearoa SW Pacific, Opotiki, New Zealand;
• Prof. Brendan Macke, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.

For more information about this webinar, please visit https://sciforum.net/event/MEDW2025?subscribe.

If you have any questions about this webinar, please contact journal.webinar@mdpi.com.

MDPI International Mother Earth Day Webinar Secretariat

We would like to invite you to attend the 1st International Online Conference on Taxonomy (IOCTX2025),  organized by MDPI’s journal Taxonomy (ISSN: 2673-6500), which will take place  online from  3 to 4 December 2025.

Conference Chair:
Prof. Dr. Mathias Harzhauser, Natural History Museum, Austria

Topics of Interest:
S1. Advances in Molecular Systematics;
S2. Microbial Taxonomy;
S3. Animal Taxonomy;
S4. Plant Taxonomy;
S5. “Paleotaxonomy”.

Important Dates:
Deadline for abstract submission: 7 August 2025;
Notification of acceptance: 2 October 2025;
Free registration deadline: 27 November 2025.

Guide for Authors:
To submit your abstract, please click on the following link: https://sciforum.net/user/submission/create/1273.

To register for this event, please click on the following link: https://sciforum.net/event/IOCTX2025?section=#registration.

For details regarding abstract submission, poster and slide submission, and publication opportunities, please refer to the “Instructions for Authors” section via the following link: https://sciforum.net/event/IOCTX2025?section=#instructions.

For any enquiries regarding the event, please contact ioctx2025@mdpi.com.

We look forward to seeing you at IOCTX 2025.

We recently had the opportunity to interview Prof. Dr. Joaquín Gadea and Ms. Celia Piñeiro-Silva about their paper “Production of Genetically Modified Porcine Embryos via Lipofection of Zona-Pellucida-Intact Oocytes Using the CRISPR/Cas9 System”, which was published in Animals (ISSN: 2076-2615) in 2023 and has received a significant amount of positive feedback from readers.

The following is a brief interview with Prof. Dr. Joaquín Gadea and Ms. Celia Piñeiro-Silva:

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your current research?
Prof. Dr. Joaquín Gadea: I studied veterinary medicine and graduated with a Ph.D. in animal reproduction. I worked for some time as a veterinary inspector and ultimately returned to the university, which was 30 years ago. I have been working in the Department of Physiology and my teaching activities are related to veterinary physiology and reproductive biology. I am teaching master's and doctorate students. My research activity is mainly focused on animal reproduction, but I also research human reproduction. The main topics I have been working on are sperm functionality and the cryopreservation of sperm, and I also conduct research on genetically modified pigs, which has been my main research topic for the last few years. I am part of the research group “Physiology of Reproduction” which consists of 8 permanent professors and 35 people right now. We are working on different topics related to reproductive biology and our main research species is pig, but we also have some other experimental models such as bull, cow, human, mice, and so on.
Ms. Celia Piñeiro-Silva: I have a masters in the reproduction of mammals and now I’m doing my Ph.D. I started my research on the genetic modification of porcine embryos to generate mutant pigs with my master’s thesis and now I’m continuing this work with the Ph.D. This article is part of my thesis work.

2. What inspired you to conduct this research?
We have been working on this topic of gene editing in pigs since 2015, more or less. The first gene-edited pigs were studied one year beforehand, and later the same year we started working in collaboration with Dr. John Parrington in Oxford. Because we had previously been working together in sperm-mediated gene transfer methodology, we had some experience generating transgenic animals, and when the CRISPR/Cas technology worked with pigs, we started our research very quickly. In the beginning, it was very difficult, because all of it was new to us and because some of the work was done in Oxford, and some of it happened in Murcia. It was very difficult, but we learned a lot. In 2019, we obtained the first gene-edited TPC2KO pigs by microinjection. Later, we started to optimize alternatives to the microinjection. One alternative is electroporation and another is lipofection. This article in Animals was our first related to lipofection and the objective was to optimize a new system with lower cost in terms of equipment and complexity. Previously, a Japanese group led by Prof. Tanihara had achieved lipofection, but they had to remove the Zona Pellucida, and this is a problem, because when you remove the Zona Pellucida, on the one hand, you facilitate the interrelationship between the lipofectamine and plasmatic membrane, and on the other hand you encounter some problems with embryo development and management later on. Our article is the first publication, to the best of our knowledge, to show lipofection with the Zona Pellucida intact. In the article, the rate of mutation was low, and we have since improved this technology with different systems and published a new paper last year related to this. It's a very, very interesting technology to develop, but it's in the beginning stages of development.

3. What do you think we can learn from your article?
I think we can learn that it is possible to generate genetically modified embryos more efficiently instead of through microinjection because microinjection is a very complex technique and you need all the equipment for it. Lipofection is very easy and any researcher can do it without learning or practicing a lot.

4. What do you think made the academic community respond so well to your research?
First of all, gene editing in pigs is a bit new for the academic community. A small number of groups in the world are working with this technology. Not only lipofection but also electroporation, for instance, is also very new. Usually, research groups work with the first technology, microinjection, and for that, you need very expensive laboratory equipment. Personally, I think that, at the moment, pigs as a model are not very well-studied. The second reason for this is that people who use pigs as models have no access to large and expensive equipment to carry out microinjection. We are probably pioneers in this research, and in several years this study will be more and more recognized than it is now. Also, the pig industries need to know that we can produce animals resistant to various diseases. When it was accepted, companies were even more interested in the technology. For instance, in commercial companies or different laboratories, researchers know a lot about lab animals, and mice, but they do not have enough knowledge of pigs. Pigs can be a very nice lab model for human diseases or xenotransplantation.

5. What challenges did you encounter while writing this commentary, and how did you overcome them?
We had a lot of them. The most difficult things are to get money and to keep staff. We have some grants for only a short period of time, but you have to keep staff, especially talented people, for a long period of research. We started this research several years ago and now we are starting to get good results, so it takes a lot of time. On the other hand, this is a very multidisciplinary activity because we have to manage people who are very good in different fields of research—in surgery, embryo culture, molecular biology, managing pregnancies, phenotyping, etc. You have to participate in a very large network to be able to improve, and this is not easy. Additionally, it's difficult when you are the first person in the field to discover something, it is very hard because you have no reference at all. You have to optimize everything.

6. What do you think are the future directions for your research?
We are doing many things at once. Lipofection is one of the techniques we use, and we have to optimize the electroporation. We are now writing a grant in which we try to optimize every important phase in this technique. One factor is to obtain the best quality embryo. We have to develop better techniques to obtain oocytes of the best quality. At the same time, we have optimized in vitro fertilization and in vitro embryo culture. Celia is working right now on treatments for achieving better epigenetic status of the oocyte. We are working on four different techniques: microinjection, electroporation, and lipofection, but also on cloning (somatic cell nuclear transfer). So, all these techniques have to be improved and adapted to the pig model, which is different from the mouse model. We have a lot to improve. Regarding the CRISPR/Cas9 system, we were using the 1st generation. Now, we are using the 2nd generation, and base editors, which also require a lot of work for optimization. We have to improve the embryo transfer and the number of pigs obtained from the embryos, so there is a large space to improve. And finally, the application of the animals. At the moment, we have only two life models, and with every life model, you have to phenotype for a long period to know exactly what the characteristics of this animal are. It's a large area for research. We have work for the next two or three generations.

7. Why did you choose Animals as the best platform for your work?
We have no issues with Animals. I have published several papers there and I didn't encounter problems with the Animals journal. From a reviewer and an editor's perspective, the Animals journal has developed and is getting better over the years. Also, I am always looking for the right audience for our articles, and in this case, Animals was the best choice.

8. What do you feel is your goal as a researcher?
Now, the objective is to be able to provide good quality research so that this research can solve problems. We spend a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of resources to carry out the best science, but it's not only for publishing. It's important, but it's only one part of the science. The other very important side is being able to transfer science to offer solutions to society, to full application. In this field, this is very interesting, because it will be applied very quickly. The other one is to do my best as a teacher. To participate in the growth of new researchers, this my main objective. I am in the maturity phase of my professional life and I think the best I can do is to participate in the formation of the best researchers.

9. What advice would you give to young scholars seeking to get into academia or publish their work?
Our advice is to learn how to write, how to give answers to the reviewers and publish step by step, according to the circumstances and situation of your lab. Being clever, learning everything you can and from every person you meet. Networking is very important. Also, traveling, and trying different laboratories; it's crucial and beneficial to going out of your comfort zone to explore new things.

We recently had the opportunity to interview Dr. Emily Kieson about her paper “Tend and Befriend in Horses: Partner Preferences, Lateralization, and Contextualization of Allogrooming in Two Socially Stable Herds of Quarter Horse Mares”, which was published in Animals (ISSN: 2076-2615) in 2023 and has received a significant amount of positive feedback from readers.

The following is a brief interview with Dr. Emily Kieson:

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your current research?

I grew up with horses, but my original intention for the trajectory of my career was ecology, sustainable ecosystems, and more of a process-based approach to environments and animals on the system side. When I couldn’t find a job based on my undergraduate degree, I got into training and providing horseback riding lessons and became a full-time instructor and trainer for a while. It was during that time that I became very confused about the knowledge being taught in the industry; a lot of the instructors and trainers with whom I worked and under whom I studied gave me conflicting answers about the questions that I had regarding horses and humans and regarding the interactions between horses and humans necessary to obtain the results that people thought they were getting. It was also during this time that I was teaching a lot, and during my time as an instructor, I gave my students certain rules. A friend of mine who was a social worker said, “You need to get into equine-assisted work”, so my first thought was that if anybody knows what’s going on between horses and humans, it must be in this field. Then, I started to undertake training sessions in equine-assisted work to become certified in different models, and it was during that process that I realized that most of the models I was learning about were based on the same assumptions. I thought that answers would be found somewhere where they weren’t, so then I immediately thought, OK, I need to find this information, and if anybody has it, research must have it; somebody in the science field must be doing research on this. So I went back to school to get a graduate degree in equine science, thinking that I would find the research that I was looking for. It turns out it didn’t exist, or possibly it was in the very, very early stages. I went back to school again and got my master’s and Ph.D. to do the research—looking at equine behavioral psychology in the context of human interactions. What was missing was learning who horses are without people. If we’re going to learn who horses are with people and the types of relational dynamics that occur in human interactions, then we need to know who they are without us. So much of the research that I’ve been doing lately has been looking at who horses are without people from a relational and social perspective. Therefore, we can understand or better understand the behaviours and indicators of social relationships and bonding. This particular paper is part of that body of work. We’ve been studying all the variations in the different types of interactions that occur in that context, one of which is allogrooming. Now what’s interesting is that allogrooming is not the most common expression of social bonding, but it is one of the easiest ones to observe. The amazing complexity of behaviours and interactions that horses have with each other can help us understand horses’ emotional and social well-being within their social groups.

2. What inspired you to conduct this research?

I just knew that there was this void of information that I needed to tackle, and I ended up approaching it from a comparative psychology perspective, and that wasn’t intentional. This was because I was trying to find an animal behavior Ph.D. program that would allow me to attack this space, but I couldn’t find one because all of the equine Ph.D. program were pretty much focused on nutrition, physiology and performance, or reproduction. I was thinking, if I’m looking at horse–human interactions, maybe I would be allowed to attack it from the pair perspective, in which case I could try to get into a psychology program and then look at and then incorporate the animal behaviour perspective. I didn’t know anything about comparative psychology before I got into this program, but it ended up being absolutely perfect. I realised that instead of looking at horse–human interactions right now, I needed to take the human out of the equation and look at who horses are without people, and what that’s also done is it’s led me down this path to study horses as free-living as possible, so without domestic or human interference or interactions. Traditionally, equine science has focused a lot on physical welfare; it’s only more recently started to expand into the social and psychological and emotional welfare side of things. To do that, we need to know what those indicators are. We can look at physiological indicators and we can look at health indicators, but when it comes to social and emotional well-being, we need to understand the behaviours that are indicators of that, so we can make better choices and have better assessment protocols and create better conditions to facilitate and support that kind of well-being. We have traditional ways of training, which are based on using and shaping their behaviours to fit our needs. We know more about that now, which is fantastic. We have learning theory, and we have a better understanding of operant conditioning. But when it comes to that relational side, that part where we want them to have a relationship with us and we want to have a relationship with them, we need to understand more about how we fit into their world rather than how they fit into ours.

3. What do you think we can learn from your article?

The article aimed to find out if horses interacted with the same social partners during stressful and non-stressful situations and whether they interacted more often during these stressful events. It derives from comparative psychology and comparative neurobiology, and some of these are sciences that have been looked at again within the human world. So the idea is that under stressful conditions, we as humans have a tendency to gravitate towards people whom we see as close companions—they could be family members or friends, and we will engage with those individuals in a way that fits our social behavioural needs. Let’s say I’m a person who likes to talk and that’s my way of socially bonding. If something happens and I’m stressed, one of the things that I will do is call or talk to my closest friend. If it’s somebody I know well, I might give them a hug. The more stressful we are, the longer and the more intense that hug is going to be. Now, for these particular horses, what we really wanted to start out with was the fact that we have these socially stable herds of mares. Allogrooming is very easy to observe and measure in terms of frequency, duration, and lateralization. We set up cameras and captured a lot of footage of them in their big fields and these smaller confined areas. This gave us an opportunity to compare by looking at frequency, duration, partner preference, and lateralization, and what we were finding was that they still turned towards the same partners. Allogrooming itself was different within this context, and so the data that we obtained fit the same theory—on the comparative side of things: What is it about social mammals that brings us together, and how does that differ from humans? What does it look like in cows? How does it look in horses? We examined the indicators to help us better understand their world, to give us ways that we can assess their well-being and welfare within our domestic world, and also to open up our minds to other ways of looking at the ways that they live. Readers are able to paint a much better picture of how horses choose to live their social lives. We are hoping that we can eventually paint a much better picture of what this looks like with us and our horses and how we can better understand their world based on these behaviours.

4. What do you think made the academic community respond so well to your research?

I think because this is a different take on horses. It’s a slightly different perspective on horse behaviour and social behaviour. It’s not just how many times they allogroom or whether they allogroom more in stressful versus non-stressful situations but also the partner aspect of it where you’re bringing in this idea that horses have a choice and they’re willing to make those choices. This brings in another idea of the individualised approach to looking at horses not just as a population, not just as this giant species and population parameters and statistics, but as each individual having their own choices and watching them make those choices and why they make those choices. This research starts to bring in a different conversation within this field of horses and humans, and I’m not the first person to bring this up, but more and more research is coming out in terms of the types of conversations that are being had at the public and scientific levels. So maybe that’s why: because this does start to fill some of that little void of filling in those gaps of knowledge on who each horse is and then taking into consideration their individual needs, desires, and choices that they make within their social lives.

5. What do you think are the future directions for your research?

We’re working on a huge ethogram right now—we are examining the footage that we’ve been collecting over the last few years of free-living and wild horses, and we are building a big picture of all these behaviours. In the research literature, there are plenty of ethograms out there; some amazing ethograms have been produced by amazing researchers on agonistic behaviours, play behaviours, sexual behaviours, and all kinds of things. We don’t have a lot of information on the behaviours that are indicative of social interactions. We know about allogrooming as it’s easy to see, but it turns out there’s a lot more. I have an incredible team of research assistants helping me go through the mass of videos searching for things, everything from a newborn foal to an ageing stallion. At the same time, given what little we do know of some of these behaviours, we’re looking at certain populations of free-living horses or horses that haven’t had a whole lot of handling. We try to solve questions on how those behaviours manifest within that social grouping and how those particular groups have some interactions with people. We’re interested in if and when those behaviours come up with interactions with people. We’re also taking into consideration some of these behaviours when it comes to horse-human interactions within more domestic spaces, namely equine-assisted work and therapeutic riding, so that we can look at different opportunities to assess equine well-being in these spaces.

6. Why did you choose Animals as the best platform for your work?

There are three reasons: Animals historically has published some of my favourite papers. There have been some very well-known ethograms published in Animals, which I’ve constantly cited, therefore Animals have a special place in my life. This is the first reason. But it is not only because of very specific articles but also the fact that it is an open access journal. In a realm where the majority of the people in the horse world are not academic and they’re not attending a university, I think that they should still have access to really good peer-reviewed information, and Animals is all open access and allows people to access good information about these important topics. At Equine International, part of our goal is to only publish under the open access model, and it’s important to do that in a way that provides people the ability to read information without a paywall. The third part is that I provide manuscript reviews so I can receive vouchers that help me offset the cost. We are an independent research organisation, and we don’t have many grants, so it is difficult to afford the publication costs at a lot of the other journals, which become expensive. So being a reviewer allows me to offset that cost, which I am immensely grateful for because not only is it a good journal, but performing that work, we get to publish there without having to be out of pocket for so much money.

I haven’t encountered any issues in terms of working directly with Animals. It’s been a very straightforward, easy process, even on the reviewer side. I think that Animals is one of the few journals that gives reviewers the opportunity to be rewarded for their efforts and offset those publication costs.

7. What advice would you give to young scholars who are seeking to get into academia or would like to publish their work in academic journals?

Find people who share your passions, who want to work with you, who will support you during the rough times and who will help you navigate those difficulties as much as support you in the successes. It’s hard work, and it’s a rough field to be in. It can be discouraging, and it can be disheartening. It is not always rewarding from a lifestyle perspective, so you kind of have to love the process, whether that’s teaching researching or developing courses. You have to love the process and space. Besides that, foster good connections to create a support system within that space.

World Wildlife Day celebrates the beauty and diversity of wild animals and plants, and also provides an opportunity to raise public awareness and enable the public to gain a deeper understanding of the many benefits of protecting wildlife for humans.

The theme of World Wildlife Day 2025 is “Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet”, highlighting the importance of supporting wildlife conservation through financial investment. The theme calls on the global community to increase investment in conservation projects to ensure the health and sustainable development of ecosystems. Protecting wildlife is not only to maintain biodiversity but also to safeguard the future of mankind. By investing in conservation projects, we can reduce the risk of species extinction, improve ecological conditions, and create sustainable economic opportunities for communities. Financial support can be used to establish protected areas, combat illegal trade, restore habitats, and promote scientific research. Investing in wildlife conservation is investing in the future of humanity and the planet, ensuring we can coexist in harmony with nature.

In order to jointly explore methods and possibilities for wildlife protection, we have brought together research results from multiple MDPI journals on the relationship between wildlife and human sustainable development and provided an open communication platform. All results are open access, and we hope that researchers and the public around the world can obtain the latest scientific knowledge and promote innovative research and practice in wildlife conservation.

We invite everyone to join this important movement and contribute to the protection of wildlife and the future of our planet and people.

MDPI World Wildlife Day Webinar
3 March 2025, 3:00 p.m. (GET)
Free to register for this webinar!
Recordings will be available on Sciforum shortly afterward.

“Birds of Game Abundances in Evergreen Forests in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Campeche, Mexico”
by Héctor M. J. López-Castilla, Fernando M. Contreras-Moreno, Daniel Jesús-Espinosa,
José M. Méndez-Tun, Khiavett Sánchez-Pinzón, Pedro Bautista-Ramírez, Lizardo Cruz-Romo
and Sandra Petrone
Wild 2025, 2(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/wild2010003

“Vulnerability of Agricultural Households to Human–Wildlife Conflicts around Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in Northern Benin”
by Sylvain Efio, Etotépé A. Sogbohossou, Yves Z. Magnon, Bertrand Hamaide, Rigobert C. Tossou
and Brice A. Sinsin
Land 2024, 13(9), 1473; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091473

“Managing Landscape Urbanization and Assessing Biodiversity of Wildlife Habitats: A Study of Bobcats in San Jose, California”
by Yongli Zheng, Yuxi Wang, Xinyi Wang, Yuhan Wen and Shuying Guo
Land 2024, 13(2), 152; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020152

“Description of Bisbalus, a New Genus for the Gray Brocket, Mazama cita Osgood, 1912 (Mammalia, Cervidae), as a Step to Solve the Neotropical Deer Puzzle ^†”
by Eluzai Dinai Pinto Sandoval, Wlodzimierz J˛edrzejewski, Jesús Molinari, Miluse Vozdova,
Halina Cernohorska , Svatava Kubickova, Agda Maria Bernegossi, Renato Caparroz
and José Mauricio Barbanti Duarte
Taxonomy 2024, 4(1), 10-26; https://doi.org/10.3390/taxonomy4010002

“Biomass Quantification of the Critically Endangered European eel from Running Waters Using Environmental DNA”
by Sara Fernandez, Álvaro Gutiérrez, Dumas Deconinck, Jose Luis Martinez, Almudena Alvarez,
Isabel Marquez, Gonzalo Machado-Schiaffino and Eva Garcia-Vazquez
Fishes 2023, 8(6), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes8060279

“Genomic Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus in Wildlife”
by Carmen Martínez-Seijas, Patricia Mascarós, Víctor Lizana, Alba Martí-Marco,
Alberto Arnau-Bonachera, Eva Chillida-Martínez, Jesús Cardells, Laura Selva, David Viana,
and Juan M. Corpa
Animals 2023, 13(6), 1064; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13061064

“Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on the At-Risk Species Anaxyrus microscaphus (The Arizona Toad): A Local and Range-Wide Habitat Suitability Analysis”
by Sam M. Driver, Cord B. Eversole, Daniel R. Unger, David L. Kulhavy, Christopher M. Schalk
and I-Kuai Hung
Ecologies 2023, 4(4), 762-778; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies4040050

“Identification of Urban and Wildlife Terrestrial Corridor Intersections for Planning of Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Mitigation Measures”
by Andrius Kuˇcas, Linas Balˇciauskas and Carlo Lavalle
Land 2023, 12(4), 758; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12040758

“Spatiotemporal Patterns of Wolves, and Sympatric Predators and Prey Relative to Human Disturbance in Northwestern Greece”
by Maria Petridou, John F. Benson, Olivier Gimenez and Vassiliki Kati
Diversity 2023, 15(2), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020184

Special Issues

“Global Trends in Climate Suitability of Bees: Ups and Downs in a Warming World”
by Ehsan Rahimi and Chuleui Jung
Insects 2024, 15(2), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15020127

“Monarch Butterflies in Western North America: A Holistic Review of Population Trends, Ecology, Stressors, Resilience and Adaptation”
by David G. James
Insects 2024, 15(1), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15010040

“Illuminating Firefly Diversity: Trends, Threats and Conservation Strategies”
by Sara M. Lewis, Wan F. A. Jusoh, Anna C. Walker, Candace E. Fallon, Richard Joyce
and Vor Yiu
Insects 2024, 15(1), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15010071

“Optimizing Wildlife Habitat Management in Socio-Ecological Systems: An Evolutionary Game Theory Approach”
by Rui Wang, Wenhui Chen and Xingyue Liang
Forests 2023, 14(10), 1940; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14101940

“Edible Halophytes and Halo-Tolerant Species in Apulia Region (Southeastern Italy): Biogeography, Traditional Food Use and Potential Sustainable Crops”
by Rita Accogli, Valeria Tomaselli, Paolo Direnzo, Enrico Vito Perrino, Giuseppe Albanese,
Marcella Urbano and Gaetano Laghetti
Plants 2023, 12(3), 549; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030549

“Crop Wild Relatives: A Valuable Source of Tolerance to Various Abiotic Stresses”
by Aliki Kapazoglou, Maria Gerakari, Efstathia Lazaridi, Konstantina Kleftogianni, Efi Sarri, Eleni Tani and Penelope J. Bebeli
Plants 2023, 12(2), 328; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12020328

“The Societal Value of the Modern Zoo: A Commentary on How Zoos Can Positively Impact on Human Populations Locally and Globally”
by Phillip J. Greenwell, Lisa M. Riley, Ricardo Lemos de Figueiredo, James E. Brereton,
Andrew Mooney and Paul E. Rose
J. Zool. Bot. Gard. 2023, 4(1), 53-69; https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg4010006

Special Issues

In commemoration of World Wildlife Day 2025, MDPI is organizing a special webinar to bring together researchers and experts to discuss the crucial role of biodiversity conservation and sustainable practices in preserving our ecosystems for future generations. This webinar will provide a platform for meaningful discussions and knowledge exchange on the importance of wildlife protection and the responsible management of natural resources.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the MDPI World Wildlife Day Webinar 2025. Please find an up-to-date outline of the presenters below.

Date: 3 March 2025 at 03:00 p.m. CET | 09:00 a.m. EST | 10:00 p.m. CST Asia

Webinar ID: 823 4465 5373

Webinar announcement: https://sciforum.net/event/MWWDW2

Register for free!

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway and we will inform you when the recording is available.

Keynote Speakers:

• Prof. Dr. Marko Sabovljevic, ¹ University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia; ² Center of Plant Biotechnology and Conservation (CPBC), Belgrade, Serbia; ³ Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovakia;
• Prof. Dr. Edward L. Braun, Department of Biology, University of Florida, United States;
• Dr. Nucharin Songsasen, Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, United States.

Journals’ Sections—Wildlife & Conservation

If you have an interest in wildlife and conservation research, we invite you to explore our relevant journals’ Sections that cover a wide range of topics in this field:

• “Wildlife” (Section of Animals);
• “Ecology and Conservation” (Section of Animals);
• “Conservation Biology and Biodiversity” (Section of Biology);
• “Plant Genetic Resources” (Section of Plants);
• “Land, Biodiversity, and Human Wellbeing” (Section of Land).

Our journals publish high-quality, peer-reviewed research on biodiversity, ecosystem management, conservation strategies, and the impact of climate change on wildlife.

If you are interested in submitting your work or learning more, please do not hesitate to reach out. We would be happy to discuss potential collaborations or publishing opportunities.

Relevant Special Issues:

Animals

“Adaptations for Animal Survival: Morphological Features or Physiological Mechanisms—Second Edition”
Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Roberto Cabo
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025

“Population Genetics and Conservation Genetics of Wildlife”
Guest Editor: Dr. Philip Lavretsky
Deadline for Manuscript Submissions: 10 June 2025

Biology

“Advances in Wildlife Conservation and Habitat Management in the Anthropocene”
Guest Editors: Dr. Yiannis G. Zevgolis and Prof. Dr. Panayiotis G. Dimitrakopoulos
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025

“Managing Hybridizing Populations: Threats or Opportunities for Conservation?”
Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Ettore Randi and Prof. Dr. Marco Musiani
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025

Plants

“Biodiversity Management and Conservation: Exploring the Dynamics of Alien and Native Plant Species”
Guest Editors: Dr. Carmelo Maria Musarella, Dr. Carmelo Maria Musarella, Dr. Ana Cano-Ortíz and Dr. Catarina Isabel Rodrigues Meireles
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025

“Diversity, Distribution and Conservation of Bryophytes”
Guest Editor: Dr. Marta Puglisi
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2025

MDPI is pleased to share a significant milestone in its mission to advance scholarly research and promote the dissemination of knowledge—300+ MDPI journals are now indexed in Web of Science (WoS). This milestone highlights the global recognition, interdisciplinary impact and enhanced visibility of our journals. It also reflects our adherence to rigorous editorial standards, scientific integrity, and our mission to foster open scientific exchange in all forms, across all disciplines. 

To explore the full list of our journals indexed in WoS, please visit https://www.mdpi.com/about/journals/wos. Beyond expanding the coverage of our publications in the leading academic databases, we are dedicated to ensuring that our journals are included in as many scope-specific databases as possible. This increases the visibility of our authors’ work and extends the reach of their significant data. 

This milestone would not have been possible without the efforts and expertise of our academic editors, reviewers and authors. Their commitment and collaboration have been instrumental in creating an inclusive, accessible, and impactful publishing platform. We also extend our gratitude to the global research community for their trust as we continue to break new ground in academic publishing. This milestone is not just a celebration of MDPI’s progress but also recognition of the collective strides made by researchers worldwide. 

As we celebrate this remarkable accomplishment, MDPI remains steadfast in its commitment to open access publishing and ensuring that high-quality research reaches and inspires a global audience.