Insects in Aquatic Ecosystems: Diversity, Function and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The emphasis on aquatic macro-invertebrate studies, which has expanded exponentially in the last six decades, has been largely ecological. Interest in aquatic macro-invertebrates has grown from early limnological roots and sport fishery-related investigations to the use of aquatic insects and their relatives as bio-indicators of water quality. In more recent times, they have become the dominant forms used in freshwater investigations of basic ecological questions, both in developed countries as well as understudied countries. Emerging studies on aquatic macro-invertebrates have dealt with the functional ecology (e.g., feeding behavior, growth, reproduction, morphological adaptations, dispersal traits), invasions of alien invertebrate species and forecasting responses of benthic insect community structure and function to anthropogenic climate change. In addition, DNA barcoding and genetic analysis is likely to also become more widely used in identification of aquatic macro-invertebrates. Our expanding knowledge of biodiversity, and the role that different aquatic groups play in water quality assessment and ecosystem function, is the only way to sustainably manage ecosystems in an ever-changing global environment.

Studies on aquatic macro-invertebrates have embraced most major areas of ecological inquiry including population dynamics, predator–prey interactions, physiological and trophic ecology, competition and the management applications of this basic research. This is the major focus and scope of this Special Issue in Diversity.

This Special Issue is dedicated by the Guest Editors to Kenneth W. Cummins, our dear friend and colleague of many years.

Prof. Dr. Martin B. Berg
Prof. Dr. Richard W. Merritt
Guest Editors

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