Environmental Pollutant Effects on the Physiological and Immune Functions of Aquatic Animals: Second Edition

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Aquatic Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2026 | Viewed by 535

Special Issue Editors

College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China
Interests: aquaculture; molecular ecology; physiological ecology; multiomics; environmental pollutants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China
Interests: environmental pollution; climate change; acclimation and adaption; molluscan biology and ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water covers around 71% of the total surface of our planet and harbors millions of species, ranging from microbes to mammals. However, environmental pollution in aquatic systems is becoming an increasingly severe problem due to the increasing human population, rapid industrialization, and technological advancement. Environmental pollution can affect aquatic organisms at all levels of biological organization. Exposure to different environmental pollutants can elicit varied stress responses far beyond the normal organismal range. An integrated homeostatic response that fails partly or entirely may weaken the immune system, affect physiological wellness, and make organisms prone to diverse diseases. This Special Issue will focus on the physiological and immune functions of aquatic animals exposed to environmental pollutants using newly developed technologies and methods.

Dr. Hui Guo
Dr. Liqiang Zhao
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

  • aquatic animals
  • environmental pollutants
  • stress response
  • physiological functions
  • immune

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.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 4105 KB  
Article
Field Experiments, Behavioral Analyses, and Digestive Physiology Reveal the Selective Oyster-Feeding Strategy of Thais luteostoma
by Shijie Zhong, Wenxiu Liu, Jiawei Zhang, Yiwei Wang and Yongshan Liao
Animals 2026, 16(5), 814; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16050814 - 5 Mar 2026
Viewed by 289
Abstract
Pearl oyster aquaculture is severely constrained by biofouling organisms, particularly fouling oysters, which substantially impair pearl oyster growth and farming efficiency. This study investigated the selective oyster-feeding behavior of the predatory gastropod Thais luteostoma and evaluated its potential as an ecological biofouling control [...] Read more.
Pearl oyster aquaculture is severely constrained by biofouling organisms, particularly fouling oysters, which substantially impair pearl oyster growth and farming efficiency. This study investigated the selective oyster-feeding behavior of the predatory gastropod Thais luteostoma and evaluated its potential as an ecological biofouling control agent in pearl oyster culture. Field co-culture experiments showed that T. luteostoma did not adversely affect the survival of Pinctada fucata martensii, while effectively reducing biofouling loads and significantly improving pearl oyster growth performance. Laboratory behavioral assays and quantitative analyses revealed a pronounced feeding preference for oysters in T. luteostoma, as evidenced by a higher number of feeding individuals, longer total feeding duration, and greater spatial overlap between feeding hotspots and oyster locations. In addition, digestive enzyme assays indicated marked post-feeding physiological responses in T. luteostoma, with a stronger induction of digestive activity in the digestive gland than in the stomach. Collectively, these findings suggest that T. luteostoma represents a promising and sustainable biological option for managing biofouling in pearl oyster aquaculture, with potential applicability to other high-value bivalve farming systems. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop