Behavioral Mechanisms in Aquatic Animals: Advances in Aquaculture and Breeding
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Aquatic Animals".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 252
Special Issue Editors
Interests: aquaculture; genetic diversity; molecular breeding; regeneration regulation; behavioral genetics; genome; GWAS
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Aquatic animal behavior represents a sophisticated integration of ecological adaptation, physiological regulation, and molecular signaling. In the context of global aquatic food security and sustainable aquaculture development, deciphering behavioral mechanisms has emerged as a transformative driver of progress, from optimizing breeding strategies to revolutionizing farm management. Recent breakthroughs in AI-driven behavior monitoring, stress resilience breeding, and ecological behavior regulation have unveiled unprecedented opportunities to bridge basic behavioral science with aquacultural applications.
Thus, with the launch of this Special Issue, we aim to accelerate the transfer of knowledge between academic innovation and aquaculture practice. Our goal is to showcase cutting-edge research that deciphers aquatic animal behavioral mechanisms and demonstrates their practical impact on breeding efficiency, welfare improvement, and production sustainability.
We invite original research articles, reviews, and short communications focusing on (but not limited to) the following topics:
1. Behavioral Mechanisms
◦ Molecular and hormonal regulation of reproductive behavior.
◦ Genetic basis of behavioral traits (e.g., heritability of stress response and foraging efficiency).
◦ Behavioral indicators for elite broodstock selection.
2. Technology-Driven Behavior Research for Aquaculture
◦ AI and machine learning in behavioral analysis (e.g., computer vision for feeding intensity assessment).
◦ Multi-modal sensing (acoustics, optics, IoT) for real-time behavior monitoring and early warning.
◦ Smart systems integrating behavioral data (e.g., intelligent feeding based on fish activity patterns).
3. Behavioral Regulation for Sustainable Production
◦ Stress resilience engineering (e.g., desensitization protocols for high-stress species).
◦ Behavioral manipulation to reduce interspecific competition and cannibalism.
◦ Environmental optimization based on habitat selection and social behavior.
4. Behavioral Ecology in Breeding Contexts
◦ Social interactions, learning, and adaptive behaviors in captive environments.
◦ Behavioral trade-offs between growth and reproduction (e.g., energy allocation shifts during spawning).
◦ Welfare-oriented behavior assessment and management.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Lei Liu
Dr. Tingting Lin
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 animal
- animal behavior
- aquaculture
- behavioral mechanism
- breeding
- sustainable production
- animal welfare
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