Environmental Factors and Freshwater Organism Responses
A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 6
Special Issue Editors
Interests: disease ecology evolution; metacommunity ecology; aquatic ecology; host–parasite interactions; infectious disease epidemiology; parasitology; environmental science; environmental determinants of health
Interests: evolutionary biology; aquatic organisms; freshwater organisms; stress responses; local adaptation; phenotypic plasticity; genomics; epigenomics; common-garden experiments; phylogenetics; host–pathogen interactions
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Freshwater ecosystems are among the most biodiverse habitats, yet they are highly vulnerable to the effects of rapid environmental change. Climate warming, hydrological alterations, pollution, invasive species, and habitat fragmentation all create growing challenges for freshwater organisms. Understanding how these environmental factors shape population dynamics, physiological responses, ecological interactions, and evolutionary processes is essential for predicting ecosystem resilience and for guiding effective conservation and management strategies.
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, “Environmental Factors and Freshwater Organism Responses”, which will explore how physical, chemical, and biological environmental drivers shape freshwater species and their interactions. This Issue aims to bring together interdisciplinary research that examines both the direct effects of environmental change on organisms and the consequences that emerge across populations, communities, and ecosystems.
This Special Issue aims to advance knowledge on the phenotypic or genomic strategies that freshwater organisms adopt to cope with environmental stressors, and how these mechanisms influence ecological dynamics and long-term resilience. By integrating ecological, physiological, evolutionary, and molecular perspectives, this issue seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of how freshwater species respond to changing environments and the implications of these responses for biodiversity, adaptation, and ecosystem functioning.
In this Special Issue, both original research articles and review papers are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Effects of climate change (temperature, heatwaves, seasonal shifts, food availability, physical water parameters) on freshwater species;
- Freshwater organism responses to hydrological alterations, changes in flow regimes, and drought impacts;
- Pollution, contaminants, and ecotoxicology in freshwater organisms;
- Species interactions under changing environmental conditions;
- Adaptation, acclimation, and phenotypic plasticity of freshwater organisms;
- Species interactions under changing environmental conditions;
- Genomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic, and physiological responses to environmental stressors.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Christina Tadiri
Dr. Joana L. Santos
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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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
- freshwater ecosystems
- environmental stressors
- climate change
- pollution
- ecotoxicology
- adaptation
- phenotypic plasticity
- biodiversity
- conservation
- genomics
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