Genetics Meets Shape: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Biological Invasions
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecology and Conservation".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 August 2026 | Viewed by 11
Special Issue Editors
Interests: molecular ecology; phylogeography; biological invasions; entomology; phytopathology; mathematical modeling
Interests: geometric morphometrics; insects; adaptations; pest ecology; biological invasions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Biological invasions are among the greatest challenges in biodiversity conservation, food security, and ecosystem health. Invasive species can rapidly adapt, alter ecosystem functioning, and displace native species. Understanding invasion success requires interdisciplinary approaches that integrate ecology, genetics, and morphology.
Population genetics has shown how invaders overcome bottlenecks, maintain diversity through multiple introductions, and develop local adaptations that enhance their establishment. Geometric morphometrics, by quantifying shape variation in biological structures, detects subtle changes linked to dispersal, tolerance, and adaptation. Together, these approaches can reveal evolutionary signatures of invasiveness, reconstruct invasion pathways, and clarify how morphology and genetics interact under new selective pressures.
This Special Issue will focus on research that combines population genetics and geometric morphometrics to address central questions in invasion biology. We welcome studies on vertebrates, invertebrates, and vectors of medical or veterinary importance. Contributions may include agricultural pests that endanger food systems, insect vectors affecting public health, or exotic species that are becoming established in extreme environments such as Antarctica.
We invite articles and reviews on genetic and morphological signatures of invasions, phenotypic plasticity and rapid evolution, integrative genomic–morphometric approaches, vectors and pests, invasions in polar and subpolar ecosystems, and biosecurity applications.
Dr. Margarita Correa
Dr. Hugo A. Benítez
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. 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
- biological invasions
- adaptation
- invasiveness
- invasion routes
- morphometrics
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.
