Meiofauna as Bioindicators of Environmental Stress and Ecosystem Health
A Special Issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818) belonging to the section "Biodiversity Loss & Dynamics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 394
Editors
2. CoNISMa, Piazzale Flaminio 9, 00196 Roma, Italy
Interests: marine biology; marine biodiversity; marine ecology; benthos; meiofauna; nematode taxonomy; benthic ecology
Interests: meiofauna; soil nematodes; marine nematodes; soil; marine biodiversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The journal Diversity is soon to launch a new Special Issue titled "Meiofauna as Bioindicators of Environmental Stress and Ecosystem Health", which aims to emphasize the key role of meiofaunal communities in assessing an ecosystem’s condition and detecting early signs of environmental stress. Meiofauna comprise highly diverse, small-sized invertebrates inhabiting the interstitial spaces of sediments and soils, characterized by short generation times and rapid turnover rates.
These traits enable meiofaunal assemblages to respond quickly to changing conditions, making them powerful and sensitive indicators of ecosystem status and early warning signals of degradation. In this Special Issue, we welcome studies of marine, transitional, freshwater, and soil environments, including both meiobenthic communities and soil meiofauna.
Because meiofauna are closely linked to sediment and soil processes and food–web dynamics, they offer mechanistic insight into nutrient cycling, energy flow, biodiversity patterns, and ecosystem functioning. Indeed, changes in meiofaunal diversity, community composition, and functional traits can therefore reflect broader ecological alterations and disruptions, such as declining water quality, sediment disturbance, habitat degradation, and soil contamination.
We invite the submission of original research articles, critical reviews, and methodological contributions addressing meiofauna-based bioassessment under multiple environmental stressors, including pollution, habitat degradation, and climate change.
Overall, in this Special Issue we aim to consolidate up-to-date knowledge and promote broader recognition of meiofauna as reliable bioindicators supporting monitoring, management, and conservation across diverse ecosystems.
Dr. Adele Cocozza di Montanara
Dr. Eleonora Grassi
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- meiofauna
- meiobenthos
- biological indicator
- ecological sentinel
- ecosystem resilience
- ecosystem health
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