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Ecology and Conservation of Marine Fish

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Michele Luca Geraci

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (IRBIM), National Research Council—CNR, Mazara del Vallo, Italy
Interests: marine fish; ecology; conservation; marine ecosystems; sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine ecosystems are among the most diverse and vital environments on our planet, supporting a vast array of species that are crucial for maintaining ecological balance and providing essential resources for human communities. However, these ecosystems face unprecedented challenges due to overfishing, habitat degradation, climate change, and pollution, which threaten the sustainability of marine fish populations and the overall health of the oceans. This Special Issue aims to compile cutting-edge research and reviews that deepen our understanding of the ecological dynamics of marine fish and explore innovative strategies for their conservation. Contributions are encouraged to cover a broad spectrum of topics, including species ecology, fisheries ecology, population dynamics, habitat requirements, impacts of environmental change, and effective conservation and management approaches. By fostering an interdisciplinary dialogue, we hope to advance scientific knowledge and promote practical solutions to preserve marine fish biodiversity for future generations.

Dr. Michele Luca Geraci
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review, Other

25 pages, 9018 KB

Open AccessArticle

Unraveling Fish Community Assembly Rules in Coastal China Seas Based on Hierarchical Modeling of Species Communities

by Li Lin, Yang Liu and Bin Kang

Animals 2025, 15(21), 3108; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15213108 - 26 Oct 2025

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1016 | Correction

Abstract

To address uncertainties in how threatened coastal China seas fish communities respond to stressors like overfishing and climate change, this study applied Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities (HMSC) to disentangle the assembly rules shaping these communities, filling a critical gap in understanding their spatiotemporal dynamics. We analyzed data on 384 fish species (1980–2018) and key environmental factors, with variance partitioning revealing that environmental filtering dominated fish distributions (explaining over 99% of variance), far outweighing random effects (0.60%). Among environmental drivers, sea surface temperature (49.00%) and sea surface salinity (33.25%) were the most influential, while seafloor substrate and water depth played secondary roles; notably, fewer species occupied fine sand habitats, and more preferred silt habitats. Residual species associations—indicative of potential biotic interactions—were most frequent within Gobiidae, likely due to this highly diverse taxon’s specialized resource utilization and wide distribution, highlighting that biotic filtering is concentrated and ecologically relevant within this group. This work demonstrates HMSC’s utility in unraveling coastal fish community assembly, providing a robust basis for predicting community changes and guiding biodiversity conservation efforts that support ocean health and dependent human activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology and Conservation of Marine Fish)

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Review

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17 pages, 2132 KB

Open AccessReview

From Sequences to Food Webs: DNA Metabarcoding Reshapes Fish Trophic Ecology

by Lin Liang, Jiajie Li, Shiyun Fang, Cheng Jiang, Sheng Bi and Lei Zhou

Animals 2026, 16(3), 443; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16030443 - 31 Jan 2026

Viewed by 466

Abstract

Fish occupy pivotal trophic positions in aquatic ecosystems, mediating energy transfer and shaping community structure through their feeding interactions. Unraveling these dietary relationships is therefore fundamental for understanding ecosystem functioning and supporting sustainable fisheries management. Traditional morphological analyses, while informative, often fall short in resolving fine-scale prey diversity and trophic linkages. In contrast, DNA metabarcoding has revolutionized dietary studies by enabling comprehensive, high-resolution, and non-invasive characterization of prey assemblages. This review synthesizes recent progress in applying DNA metabarcoding to fish trophic ecology, emphasizing technical innovations, methodological standardization, and ecological insights. We discuss how DNA metabarcoding has advanced the understanding of food web complexity, species interactions, and ecological responses to environmental change. However, challenges persist in quantification accuracy, reference database completeness, and cross-source contamination. Future research integrating multi-marker approaches, standardized workflows, and multi-method integration holds promise for transforming DNA metabarcoding into a powerful, reliable and mechanistic tool for trophic ecology. Collectively, these developments will bridge molecular data with ecological theory, strengthening the scientific foundation for ecosystem-based fisheries management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology and Conservation of Marine Fish)

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