Young Researchers in Conservation Biology and Biodiversity

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Conservation Biology and Biodiversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 1558

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Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
Interests: animal population genomics; conservation genetics, phylogeography
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In this Special Issue, we aim to feature early-career researchers in the field of Conservation Biology and Biodiversity. The senior author(s) of each contribution should be (a) the first or last author as well as the corresponding author and (b) be within 10 years of completing their Ph.D. (or equivalent) or becoming an assistant professor/on tenure track. We invite submissions from diverse research fields, including topics on the biology of small declining populations, the demographic and genetic consequences of bottlenecks, the relationships between heterozygosity and fitness, the genetics of inbreeding and hybridization, the estimates of extinction risks, the use of population genetics and genomics to define species boundaries, and the discovery of evolutionary and conservation population units and prediction of their future evolvability. Articles submitted for this Special Issue should meet all standard requirements of individual Biology articles (regarding quality, novelty, and significance) and be relevant to a broad international and interdisciplinary readership.

Authors featured in this Special Issue will have the opportunity to be nominated for next year's Young Investigator Award.

Prof. Dr. Ettore Randi
Guest Editor

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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. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2700 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

  • population genomics and diversity
  • heterozygosity
  • inbreeding
  • hybridization
  • adaptive introgression
  • natural selection
  • speciation
  • bottleneck and population fragmentation
  • genetic drift
  • gene flow
  • extinction risk
  • evolvability
  • paleogenomics
  • phylogeography
  • conservation units
  • ecotypes
  • phylogenetics and systematics
  • eDNA
  • non-invasive genetic sampling
  • environmental monitoring

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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18 pages, 1212 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Vegetation Diversity of Different Forest Ecosystems in Southern Romania Using Biodiversity Indices and Similarity Coefficients
by Florin Daniel Stamin and Sina Cosmulescu
Biology 2025, 14(7), 869; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14070869 - 17 Jul 2025
Abstract
The present study analyzed the vegetation diversity in three forests located in southern Romania and assessed their degree of similarity. Data were collected using frame quadrat sampling and species taxonomic identification. The methodology included the calculation of ecological indices (Shannon–Wiener, equitability, maximum entropy, [...] Read more.
The present study analyzed the vegetation diversity in three forests located in southern Romania and assessed their degree of similarity. Data were collected using frame quadrat sampling and species taxonomic identification. The methodology included the calculation of ecological indices (Shannon–Wiener, equitability, maximum entropy, Menhinick, Margalef, McIntosh, Gleason, and Simpson) and statistical analysis using ANOVA and Duncan tests (p < 0.05). Similarity between forests was evaluated using the Jaccard and Dice/Sørensen coefficients. The results showed that biodiversity increases with area size, and the forest ecosystem in Vlădila exhibited the highest number of woody and herbaceous species. Although the forest ecosystem in Studinița had the greatest floristic diversity, according to the Shannon–Wiener index, it also showed higher equitability (0.911 compared to 0.673 in Vlădila) due to a more uniform species distribution. The forest ecosystem in Studinița acted as an intermediate zone between those in Grădinile and Vlădila. Variations in diversity among the three areas reflect ecological differences influenced by location-specific factors such as soil type, climatic conditions, and human interventions. This suggests that ecological conditions and the physical characteristics of forests significantly impact the number and types of species that can coexist within an ecosystem. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young Researchers in Conservation Biology and Biodiversity)
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21 pages, 7490 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Biocultural Nexus of Gastrodia elata in Zhaotong: A Pathway to Ecological Conservation and Economic Growth
by Yanxiao Fan, Menghua Tian, Defen Hu and Yong Xiong
Biology 2025, 14(7), 846; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14070846 - 11 Jul 2025
Viewed by 304
Abstract
Gastrodia elata, known as Tianma in Chinese, is a valuable medicinal and nutritional resource. The favorable climate of Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, China, facilitates its growth and nurtures rich biocultural diversity associated with Tianma in the region. Local people not only cultivate [...] Read more.
Gastrodia elata, known as Tianma in Chinese, is a valuable medicinal and nutritional resource. The favorable climate of Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, China, facilitates its growth and nurtures rich biocultural diversity associated with Tianma in the region. Local people not only cultivate Tianma as a traditional crop but have also developed a series of traditional knowledge related to its cultivation, processing, medicinal use, and culinary applications. In this study, field surveys employing ethnobotanical methods were conducted in Yiliang County, Zhaotong City, from August 2020 to May 2024, focusing on Tianma. A total of 114 key informants participated in semi-structured interviews. The survey documented 23 species (and forms) from seven families related to Tianma cultivation. Among them, there were five Gastrodia resource taxa, including one original species, and four forms. These 23 species served as either target cultivated species, symbiotic fungi (promoting early-stage Gastrodia germination), or fungus-cultivating wood. The Fagaceae family, with 10 species, was the most dominant, as its dense, starch-rich wood decomposes slowly, providing Armillaria with a long-term, stable nutrient substrate. The cultural importance (CI) statistics revealed that Castanea mollissima, G. elata, G. elata f. flavida, G. elata f. glauca, G. elata f. viridis, and Xuehong Tianma (unknown form) exhibited relatively high CI values, indicating their crucial cultural significance and substantial value within the local community. In local communities, traditionally processed dried Tianma tubers are mainly used to treat cardiovascular diseases and also serve as a culinary ingredient, with its young shoots and tubers incorporated into dishes such as cold salads and stewed chicken. To protect the essential ecological conditions for Tianma, the local government has implemented forest conservation measures. The sustainable development of the Tianma industry has alleviated poverty, protected biodiversity, and promoted local economic growth. As a distinctive plateau specialty of Zhaotong, Tianma exemplifies how biocultural diversity contributes to ecosystem services and human well-being. This study underscores the importance of biocultural diversity in ecological conservation and the promotion of human welfare. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young Researchers in Conservation Biology and Biodiversity)
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19 pages, 4585 KiB  
Article
Origin of Polyploidy, Phylogenetic Relationships, and Biogeography of Botiid Fishes (Teleostei: Cypriniformes)
by Lei Yang, Richard L. Mayden and Gavin J. P. Naylor
Biology 2025, 14(5), 531; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14050531 - 11 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 634
Abstract
Botiidae is a small family of freshwater fishes distributed across Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Asia. It comprises two subfamilies: the diploid Leptobotiinae and the tetraploid Botiinae. Whether species in the Botiinae are autotetraploids or allotetraploids and how many polyploidization events occurred [...] Read more.
Botiidae is a small family of freshwater fishes distributed across Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Asia. It comprises two subfamilies: the diploid Leptobotiinae and the tetraploid Botiinae. Whether species in the Botiinae are autotetraploids or allotetraploids and how many polyploidization events occurred during the evolution of this subfamily remain open questions. The phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of the Botiidae also require further investigation. In the current study, we compared phylogenetic trees constructed using DNA sequences from the mitochondrial genome and five phased nuclear genes. We also performed whole genome sequencing for two tetraploid species: Chromobotia macracanthus and Yasuhikotakia modesta. Genome profiling of five botiine species suggests that they are likely of allotetraploid origin. Nuclear gene tree topologies indicate that the tetraploidization of the Botiinae occurred only once in the common ancestor of this subfamily. Although the possible maternal progenitor and paternal progenitor of the Botiinae cannot be determined, the subfamily Leptobotiinae can be excluded as a progenitor. The gene trees built in this study generally agree on the following sister group relationships: Leptobotiinae/Botiinae, Leptobotia/Parabotia, Chromobotia/Botia, Yasuhikotakia/Syncrossus, and Sinibotia/Ambastaia. Clades formed by the last two generic pairs are also sisters to each other. Timetree analyses and ancestral range reconstruction suggest that the family Botiidae might have originated in East Asia and Mainland Southeast Asia approximately 51 million years ago and later dispersed to South Asia and the islands of Southeast Asia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young Researchers in Conservation Biology and Biodiversity)
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