Alien and Pest Molluscs: Invasion Dynamics, Impacts, Control Methods and Ecosystem Services in a Changing World

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to the first Special Issue of Animals focused on alien and pest molluscs. Invasive molluscs threaten native ecosystems, biodiversity, economy, and human health worldwide, which underscores the importance of integrated approaches for pest management to minimize adverse effects. In a changing world with additional stressors like climate change, chemical pollution, and habitat loss, comparative assessments of invasion dynamics and factors influencing colonization success, as well as understanding the ecological and socio-economic impacts and potential ecosystem services, are crucial to developing sound management strategies.

This Special Issue aims to publish original research articles, reviews, commentaries and reports on (but are not limited to) the following research areas:

• Invasion dynamics and distribution patterns of exotic molluscs: Examining the patterns and processes of mollusc invasions, including understanding the factors that contribute to successful establishment, population growth, and range expansion.
• Ecological impacts: Investigating the ecological consequences of invasive molluscs on native ecosystems, such as changes in community structure, species interactions, and ecosystem functioning. Assessing the direct and indirect effects of invasive molluscs on native species, including competition for resources, predation, and habitat modification.
• Factors influencing colonization success of invasive molluscs.
• Dispersal mechanisms and pathways of exotic molluscs: Studying the factors influencing the spread and dispersal of invasive molluscs, including understanding their reproductive biology, larval dispersal strategies, and mechanisms of transport, as well as mechanisms facilitating their establishment.
• Control and management strategies for invasive molluscs: Assessment and development of effective strategies for the control and management of invasive mollusc populations, including understanding their response to different control methods, evaluating the efficacy of management interventions, and exploring novel approaches such as biocontrol.
• Genetics and evolution: Investigating the genetic aspects of invasive molluscs, including studying their genetic diversity, population structure, and evolutionary adaptations to new environments.
• Risk assessment and prevention: Conducting risk assessments to identify potential pathways and vectors of introduction, as well as evaluating the efficacy of prevention measures and early detection systems.
• Interactions between invasive molluscs and multiple stressors, such as climate change, chemical pollution, habitat degradation and loss, and direct species consumption: Understanding the interactions between climate change and invasive molluscs, including investigating how changing environmental conditions may influence their distribution, abundance, and impacts on native ecosystems.
• Socio-economic impacts: Assessing the socio-economic consequences of invasive molluscs, including evaluating their impacts on fisheries, aquaculture, water management, and recreational activities, as well as new ecosystem services in colonized areas, such as improving water clarity, providing food resources to native species (e.g., fish) and human communities, and uses as biomonitoring species and model organisms to study ecological and evolutionary processes.
• Policy and legislation: Examining the policy frameworks and legal instruments for the management and regulation of invasive molluscs, including evaluating the effectiveness of current policies and exploring strategies for improving prevention and control measures.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Francisco Sylvester
Dr. Esteban M. Paolucci
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-anonymized 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.