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Current Advances in Echinoderm Research (2nd Edition)
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Current Advances in Echinoderm Research (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 1776

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Muyan Chen

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Guest Editor
The Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
Interests: molecular physiology; echinoderm; hypometabolism; aestivation; thermal stress; hypoxia; neurophysiology; sensory system; osmoregulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Xiutang Yuan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China
Interests: sea cucumber; shellfish; ocean acidification and warming; environmental factors; human impacts; environmental pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Echinoderms, a group of non-chordate deuterostomes, bridge the evolutionary gap between protostomes and chordates. As key components of marine ecosystems, they play vital roles in the ocean food chain and contribute to numerous ecological processes. These organisms are renowned for their remarkable regenerative capacity in adult organs, diverse body types, variability in collagenous tissues, and unique phylogenetic position. Beyond their ecological and evolutionary significance, certain echinoderms hold substantial economic and medical value. Despite extensive research, many aspects of their biology remain unexplored.

Advancing our understanding of echinoderms and their environmental interactions—including the impacts of climate change and human activities on their communities—requires diverse methodologies. Classical and novel approaches such as microscopy, molecular biology, bioinformatics, biochemical analyses, and chemical studies can yield valuable insights. The following Special Issue invites contributions highlighting innovative research on echinoderm ecology, morphology, physiology, biodiversity, pathology, evolution, reproduction, development, immunology, and related fields, including aquaculture applications.

Prof. Dr. Muyan Chen
Prof. Dr. Xiutang Yuan
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 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

  • echinoderms
  • sea cucumbers
  • starfish
  • brittle stars
  • sea urchins

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 6056 KB  
Article
Effects of Increased Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium Ion Concentrations on Survival Conditions, Growth Performance, and Physiological Parameters in Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus intermedius)
by Xuechun Jiang, Fanjiang Ou, Tongshan Jia, Hao Guo, Peng Liu, Wenzhuo Tian, Shuaichen Wu, Siyuan Chen, Wenping Feng and Weijie Zhang
Biology 2025, 14(8), 1046; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14081046 - 14 Aug 2025
Viewed by 450
Abstract
This study examined the effects of calcium, magnesium, and potassium ion concentrations on Strongylocentrotus intermedius through seven experimental rearing groups: two calcium ion levels (550 mg/L and 733 mg/L), two magnesium ion levels (1727 mg/L and 2302 mg/L), two potassium ion levels (533 [...] Read more.
This study examined the effects of calcium, magnesium, and potassium ion concentrations on Strongylocentrotus intermedius through seven experimental rearing groups: two calcium ion levels (550 mg/L and 733 mg/L), two magnesium ion levels (1727 mg/L and 2302 mg/L), two potassium ion levels (533 mg/L and 710 mg/L), and a control. After 45 days of cultivation, 733 mg/L of calcium ions significantly reduced the S. intermedius survival rate, while 550 mg/L of calcium ions had no significant adverse effects on survival, growth (SGR), the feed conversion ratio (FCR), gonad colour, or immune enzyme activity, and it significantly increased the gonad index (GI). Meanwhile, 2302 mg/L of magnesium ions caused 100% mortality within 2 days, and 1727 mg/L of magnesium ions significantly reduced the survival rate and SGR while increasing the FCR. Additionally, 710 mg/L of potassium ions had no significant impact on the survival rate but significantly reduced SGR, the GI, and gonad colour while increasing the FCR, whereas 533 mg/L of potassium ions showed no significant adverse effects on survival, SGR, the FCR, gonad colour, digestive enzyme activity, or immune enzyme activity. The study results indicate that when formulating artificial seawater using source water with elevated calcium, magnesium, and potassium ion concentrations for S. intermedius aquaculture, calcium ions under 550 mg/L and potassium ions under 533 mg/L are biologically acceptable. However, magnesium ions require adjustment to a narrow optimal range to ensure survival and physiological performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Advances in Echinoderm Research (2nd Edition))
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20 pages, 1753 KB  
Article
Vitamin E Enhances Immune Function and the Intestinal Histological Structure by Regulating the Nodal-Mediated Signaling Pathway: A Case Study on the Sea Cucumber Apostichopus japonicus
by Zitong Wang, Yan Wang, Xianyu Wang, Guangyao Zhao, Haiqing Zeng, Haoran Xiao, Lingshu Han, Jun Ding, Yaqing Chang and Rantao Zuo
Biology 2025, 14(8), 1008; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14081008 - 6 Aug 2025
Viewed by 634
Abstract
The histological integrity of the intestine depends on the tight and orderly arrangement of epithelial cells within the intestinal villi. Nodal, a transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family member, has been reported to promote epithelial cell proliferation. Collagen not only establishes physical connections [...] Read more.
The histological integrity of the intestine depends on the tight and orderly arrangement of epithelial cells within the intestinal villi. Nodal, a transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family member, has been reported to promote epithelial cell proliferation. Collagen not only establishes physical connections between adjacent cells but also serves as an anchoring platform for cell adhesion and regeneration processes. Therefore, a 21-day feeding trial was conducted using RNA interference to investigate the role of the Nodal gene in regulating intestinal collagen synthesis and histological structure integrity in juvenile A. japonicus fed diets containing graded levels of vitamin E (VE) (0, 200, and 400 mg/kg). The results showed that the addition of 200 mg/kg VE significantly improved the growth rate, immune enzyme activities and related gene expression, as well as intestinal villus morphology. Additionally, the addition of 200 mg/kg VE upregulated the expression of Nodal, which activated the expression of collagen synthesis-related genes and promoted collagen deposition in the intestines of A. japonicus. After Nodal gene knockdown, A. japonicus presented a decreased growth rate, damage to the intestinal histological structure, and impaired collagen synthesis, with the most notable findings observed in A. japonicus fed diets without VE addition. However, these detrimental effects were eliminated to some extent by the addition of 200 mg/kg VE. These findings indicate that VE improves immune function and intestinal histological structure in A. japonicus through a Nodal-dependent pathway. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Advances in Echinoderm Research (2nd Edition))
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16 pages, 1000 KB  
Article
The Influence of Parent Pairs with Different Genetic Distances on the Genetic Diversity of Offspring in Strongylocentrotus intermedius
by Peng Liu, Xuechun Jiang, Hao Guo, Tongshan Jia, Shuaichen Wu, Fanjiang Ou, Wenzhuo Tian, Lei Liu, Yaqing Chang, Jun Ding and Weijie Zhang
Biology 2025, 14(7), 745; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14070745 - 23 Jun 2025
Viewed by 406
Abstract
To identify effective strategies for preserving the genetic diversity of Strongylocentrotus intermedius populations, this study employed 15 SSR loci and SSR-seq technology to construct three parental mating groups based on different genetic distances: relatively distant (0.33640), relatively close (0.13051), and mixed (0.29916). These [...] Read more.
To identify effective strategies for preserving the genetic diversity of Strongylocentrotus intermedius populations, this study employed 15 SSR loci and SSR-seq technology to construct three parental mating groups based on different genetic distances: relatively distant (0.33640), relatively close (0.13051), and mixed (0.29916). These mating groups were used to produce three corresponding offspring populations: the distant group (D), the close group (C), and the mixed group (M). A total of 150 offspring from these populations were genotyped to analyze the effects of parental genetic distance on the genetic diversity of their offspring. The results showed that the observed allele number (Na) in the D and M groups was 4.200 and 4.733, respectively, both lower than the parental family population (FP) group (5.000) but higher than the C group (3.571). The effective allele number (Ne) in the D and M groups was 2.782 and 2.728, respectively, slightly below that of the parental FP group (2.816) but greater than the C group (2.211). Similarly, the observed heterozygosity (Ho) in the D and M groups was 0.496 and 0.488, respectively, both below that of the parental FP group (0.522) but above the C group (0.447). The expected heterozygosity (He) in the D and M groups was 0.586 and 0.579, respectively, slightly lower than the parental FP group (0.595) but higher than the C group (0.487). Additionally, the polymorphism information content (PIC) in the D and M groups was 0.530 and 0.531, respectively, indicating high polymorphism, although slightly lower than the parental FP group (0.546) and significantly higher than the C group (0.438). These findings indicate that the genetic diversity of all the three offspring populations declined to varying degrees compared to the parental population, with the C group experiencing the most severe reduction. In contrast, the D and M groups maintained comparably higher levels of genetic diversity, which were comparable to each other. This study underscores the importance of increasing the genetic distance between parents or adopting mixed mating strategies to sustain genetic diversity in breeding populations. These approaches are recommended for future breeding programs to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainability of genetic resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Advances in Echinoderm Research (2nd Edition))
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