Ecology of Young Animals
A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Diversity".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 October 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: reptile ecology; quantitative biology; movement ecology; foraging ecology; network biology; insect behavioral ecology; sensory ecology
Interests: lizard ecology; animal behavior; foraging ecology; movement ecology; animal social networks; mammal behavioral ecology; vertebrate population ecology; bird behavioral ecology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Although most research on free-ranging animals focuses on adults, individuals experience different challenges and opportunities as they mature. Age-specific factors such as body size, physiology, and experience result in young stage animals differing from adults in their capabilities and risks. Young stage animals also can differ from adults ecologically in myriad ways, including their habitat use, social behavior, competitive landscape, food preferences, thermal requirements, and predation pressures. Owing to their inexperience, young animals are often inefficient and can experience higher energetic costs. Likewise, their smaller size relative to adults can result in ontogenetic variation in selection pressures. In many species, only a minority of individuals survive to maturity. Despite their vulnerability, ecological understanding of young stage animals, as well as the nature of changes in selective pressures throughout development, is slim compared to adults.
In this Special Issue on “Ecology of Young Animals”, we strive to close the knowledge gap between young and adult ecology, opening avenues to enhance biodiversity conservation and management efforts. We encourage manuscripts on all aspects of the biology of young stage animals in terrestrial, marine, and freshwater aquatic systems that collectively will embody a broad overview of the unique considerations inherent to the lifestyle of young animals. We further welcome manuscripts incorporating quantitative approaches to studying young stage animals that focus on novel applications of statistical or computational methods, as well as model-based approaches to biodiversity conservation, ecology, and evolution that incorporate age-specific factors. The aim is to articulate and emphasize considerations unique to young stage animals, revealing a balanced framework for biodiversity conservation and ecology.
Dr. Douglas A. Eifler
Dr. Maria Eifler
Guest Editors
Dr. María de L. Ruiz-Gomez
Guest Editor Assistant
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. Diversity 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 2100 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
- juvenile
- young stage
- body size
- ontogeny
- hatchling
- age
- scaling
- precocial
- altricial
- quantitative ecology
- immature
- larva
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