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Diversity
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2025 Feature Papers by Diversity’s Editorial Board Members
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2025 Feature Papers by Diversity’s Editorial Board Members

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 3760

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Michael Wink

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 329, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Interests: phytochemistry; molecular pharmacology of medicinal and toxic plants; alkaloids; evolution; chemical ecology; ornithology; phylogeny and evolution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We wish to express our gratitude for all the support provided by our Editorial Board Members last year. The journal has made great progress as a result.

Last year we launched the 2024 Editor’s Special Issue and received many good submissions from our editors. This Special Issue attracted more than 50000 readers.  You can read these publications at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity/special_issues/42T72472OP.

We have now launched the 2025 Editor Special issue titled “2025 Feature Papers by Diversity’s Editorial Board Members” and hope to receive excellent submissions again this year.  This Special Issue will publish high-quality papers written by the Editorial Board Members of Diversity, or those recommended and invited by the Editorial Board Members and the Editor-in-Chief, in open access format. Authors can submit their manuscripts through the Manuscript Tracking System at https://susy.mdpi.com/user/manuscripts/upload?journal=diversity.

Research topics are mainly focused on biodiversity conservation, molecular evolution and ecology, marine species, plant diversity, and animal diversity.

We hope that scholars from all over the world will publish high-quality papers based on their recent research in this Special issue.

Prof. Dr. Michael Wink
Guest Editor

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. 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

  • biodiversity conservation
  • plant diversity
  • animal population and involution
  • ecology

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

59 pages, 16204 KB  
Article
Taxonomic Revision of Pasiphaea (Pasiphaeidae: Crustacea) of the Southwest Tropical Pacific with a Description of Eight New Species
by Anton M. Tikhomirov, Dmitrii N. Kulagin, Anastasiia A. Lunina, Elodie Vourey and Alexander L. Vereshchaka
Diversity 2025, 17(9), 656; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17090656 - 19 Sep 2025
Viewed by 249
Abstract
The genus Pasiphaea Savigny, 1816, comprises a diverse assemblage of meso- to bathypelagic shrimps, currently including 69 valid species. Taxonomic investigations have long been hampered by numerous synonymies and by species known only from their original, overly brief descriptions. Here, we address these [...] Read more.
The genus Pasiphaea Savigny, 1816, comprises a diverse assemblage of meso- to bathypelagic shrimps, currently including 69 valid species. Taxonomic investigations have long been hampered by numerous synonymies and by species known only from their original, overly brief descriptions. Here, we address these deficiencies by examining Pasiphaea specimens collected in the Western and Central Pacific during multiple research cruises using mid-water trawls. Integrating traditional morphological characters (carapace carination, pleonal relief, telson end morphology, and pereopodal dentition) with a novel morphometric framework, we standardized terminology and defined a suite of quantitative measurements across the carapace, pleon, telson, and chelae. In order to corroborate species boundaries, we sequenced three mitochondrial gene markers (COI, 16S rDNA, and 12S rDNA) and calculated genetic distances under the Kimura two-parameter model. This combined approach extended or confirmed the geographic ranges of five described taxa, facilitated the formal description of eight new species, and demonstrated the synonymy of P. gracilis Hayashi, 1999, and P. fragilis Hayashi, 1999. Phylogenetic reconstructions further highlighted cases of pseudocryptic speciation in neighboring bathyal habitats. Our results expose substantial lacunae in the Southwest Pacific Pasiphaea fauna and substantiate the necessity for a comprehensive, genus-level revision. This study thereby contributes to both refining species diagnoses and advancing our understanding of deep-sea crustacean biodiversity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2025 Feature Papers by Diversity’s Editorial Board Members)
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20 pages, 2426 KB  
Article
Unravelling the Role of Predator Diversity in Shaping Plankton Dynamics: Evidence from a Mesocosm Study
by Robyn Shaylee Fabian and William Froneman
Diversity 2025, 17(9), 591; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17090591 - 22 Aug 2025
Viewed by 439
Abstract
Predation plays a key organizational role in structuring plankton communities. However, predator diversity can lead to emergent effects in which the outcomes of predator–prey interactions are modified. The response of the plankton community to three different predator regimes at natural densities was investigated [...] Read more.
Predation plays a key organizational role in structuring plankton communities. However, predator diversity can lead to emergent effects in which the outcomes of predator–prey interactions are modified. The response of the plankton community to three different predator regimes at natural densities was investigated over a 10-day mesocosm experiment in a temperate, temporarily open/closed estuary in South Africa. The regimes included: (1) predation by the mysid, Mesopodopsis wooldridgei; (2) predation by larval Rhabdosargus holubi and (3) a combination of the two predators. M. wooldridgei are primarily copepod feeders, and juvenile R. holubi consume a broader diet including zooplankton, algae and invertebrate fauna. In the absence of predators, zooplankton grazing contributed to a significant decline in the phytoplankton size structure and total chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration. The presence of the predators contributed to a decline in the total zooplankton abundances and biomass which dampened the grazing impact of the zooplankton on the total Chl-a, consistent with the expectations of a trophic cascade. There were no significant differences in the size structure of the phytoplankton community, total Chl-a concentration and the total zooplankton abundances and biomass between the different predator treatments, suggesting that the increase in predator diversity did not contribute to increased prey risk. These findings highlight both the direct and indirect ecological impacts of predators on plankton dynamics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2025 Feature Papers by Diversity’s Editorial Board Members)
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17 pages, 8868 KB  
Article
Dual Influence of Rainfall and Water Temperature on Phytoplankton Diversity and Nutrient Dynamics in a Mountainous Riverine Reservoir
by Qihang Zhao, Lian Hu, Xinyue Ren, Xiang Hu, Tianchi Sun, Jun Zuo, Peng Xiao, He Zhang, Rongzhen Zhang and Renhui Li
Diversity 2025, 17(8), 573; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17080573 - 15 Aug 2025
Viewed by 435
Abstract
The combined effects of anthropogenic activities and climate change, particularly the increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events, continue to pose significant threats to the security of reservoir ecosystems and water quality. Effective prediction and management of aquatic ecosystems require a comprehensive understanding of [...] Read more.
The combined effects of anthropogenic activities and climate change, particularly the increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events, continue to pose significant threats to the security of reservoir ecosystems and water quality. Effective prediction and management of aquatic ecosystems require a comprehensive understanding of how environmental factors influence the dynamics of phytoplankton communities. However, the response patterns of phytoplankton community diversity, niche breadth, and cell density to rainfall disturbances in complex mountainous riverine reservoirs remain poorly understood. In this study, we systematically investigated the phytoplankton community structure and its environmental drivers in Zhaoshandu Reservoir (China) via field surveys, morphological identification of samples, and multivariate statistical analyses. Water temperature (WT), rainfall, and phytoplankton cell density in the study area ranged from 11.4 °C to 35.6 °C, from 0 to 72.5 mm, and from 3.33 × 103 to 7.95 × 107 cells/L, respectively. Total phosphorus and total nitrogen concentrations ranged from 0.002 to 0.633 mg/L and from 0.201 to 5.06 mg/L, respectively. Canonical correspondence analysis found that rainfall and WT were the pivotal drivers of phytoplankton density and biomass and were significantly correlated with phytoplankton diversity. Importantly, structural equation modeling revealed that the direct effects of both rainfall and WT on phytoplankton diversity and niche width, as well as the indirect effects of rainfall on ammonium nitrogen concentration, significantly modulated algal density and biomass in Zhaoshandu Reservoir. Our study highlights the role of rainfall as a potential major regulator of phytoplankton communities in this riverine reservoir. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2025 Feature Papers by Diversity’s Editorial Board Members)
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26 pages, 3278 KB  
Article
Marine Highways and Barriers: A Case Study of Limacina helicina Phylogeography Across the Siberian Arctic Shelf Seas
by Galina A. Abyzova, Tatiana V. Neretina, Mikhail A. Nikitin, Anna O. Shapkina and Alexander L. Vereshchaka
Diversity 2025, 17(8), 522; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17080522 - 27 Jul 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 871
Abstract
The planktonic pteropod Limacina helicina is increasingly studied as a bioindicator of climate-driven changes in polar marine ecosystems. Although broadly distributed across the Arctic Basin and the North Pacific, its population structure and dispersal pathways remain poorly understood, especially in the Siberian Arctic. [...] Read more.
The planktonic pteropod Limacina helicina is increasingly studied as a bioindicator of climate-driven changes in polar marine ecosystems. Although broadly distributed across the Arctic Basin and the North Pacific, its population structure and dispersal pathways remain poorly understood, especially in the Siberian Arctic. We analyzed mitochondrial COI sequences from populations sampled in the Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, and White Seas, as well as adjacent Pacific regions. Three major haplogroups (H1, H2, H3) were identified with distinct spatial patterns. H1 is widespread, occurring across the Pacific and most Arctic seas except the White Sea. H2 is confined to the western Arctic shelves (Barents–Kara–Laptev), and H3 is unique to the White Sea. We found a pronounced genetic discontinuity corresponding to hydrographic barriers, particularly the strong freshwater inflow from the Lena River, which restricts eastward dispersal of H2 from the Laptev to the East Siberian Sea. These patterns suggest postglacial expansions from geographically separated populations that survived the Last Glacial Maximum in isolated marine regions. The White Sea population is highly isolated and genetically distinct. Our results highlight how both glacial history and modern oceanography shape Arctic plankton diversity and define biogeographic boundaries in a rapidly changing climate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2025 Feature Papers by Diversity’s Editorial Board Members)
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30 pages, 2062 KB  
Article
Building a DNA Reference for Madagascar’s Marine Fishes: Expanding the COI Barcode Library and Establishing the First 12S Dataset for eDNA Monitoring
by Jean Jubrice Anissa Volanandiana, Dominique Ponton, Eliot Ruiz, Andriamahazosoa Elisé Marcel Fiadanamiarinjato, Fabien Rieuvilleneuve, Daniel Raberinary, Adeline Collet, Faustinato Behivoke, Henitsoa Jaonalison, Sandra Ranaivomanana, Marc Leopold, Roddy Michel Randriatsara, Jovial Mbony, Jamal Mahafina, Aaron Hartmann, Gildas Todinanahary and Jean-Dominique Durand
Diversity 2025, 17(7), 495; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17070495 - 18 Jul 2025
Viewed by 861
Abstract
Madagascar harbors a rich marine biodiversity, yet detailed knowledge of its fish species remains limited. Of the 1689 species listed in 2018, only 22% had accessible cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequences in public databases. In response to growing pressure on fishery resources, [...] Read more.
Madagascar harbors a rich marine biodiversity, yet detailed knowledge of its fish species remains limited. Of the 1689 species listed in 2018, only 22% had accessible cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequences in public databases. In response to growing pressure on fishery resources, this study aims to strengthen biodiversity monitoring tools. Its objectives were to enrich the COI database for Malagasy marine fishes, create the first 12S reference library, and evaluate the taxonomic resolution of different 12S metabarcodes for eDNA analysis, namely MiFish, Teleo1, AcMDB, Ac12S, and 12SF1/R1. An integrated approach combining morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic analyses was applied for specimen identification of fish captured using various types of fishing gear in Toliara and Ranobe Bays from 2018 to 2023. The Malagasy COI database now includes 2146 sequences grouped into 502 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) from 82 families, with 14 BINs newly added to BOLD (The Barcode of Life Data Systems), and 133 cryptic species. The 12S library comprises 524 sequences representing 446 species from 78 families. Together, the genetic datasets cover 514 species from 84 families, with the most diverse being Labridae, Apogonidae, Gobiidae, Pomacentridae, and Carangidae. However, the two markers show variable taxonomic resolution: 67 species belonging to 35 families were represented solely in the COI dataset, while 10 species from nine families were identified exclusively in the 12S dataset. For 319 species with complete 12S gene sequences associated with COI BINs (Barcode Index Numbers), 12S primer sets were used to evaluate the taxonomic resolution of five 12S metabarcodes. The MiFish marker proved to be the most effective, with an optimal similarity threshold of 98.5%. This study represents a major step forward in documenting and monitoring Madagascar’s marine biodiversity and provides a valuable genetic reference for future environmental DNA (eDNA) applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2025 Feature Papers by Diversity’s Editorial Board Members)
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10 pages, 950 KB  
Article
Effect of Temperature on Allelopathic Interactions Between Copepods (Copepoda) and Rotifers (Rotifera)
by Ana Nayeli López-Rocha, S. S. S. Sarma and S. Nandini
Diversity 2025, 17(7), 455; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17070455 - 27 Jun 2025
Viewed by 336
Abstract
The role of abiotic factors in the allelopathic interactions between copepods and rotifers is poorly documented. Temperature has a marked effect on the metabolism of zooplankton. Therefore, the release of allelochemicals by copepods and the response of rotifers to them may change as [...] Read more.
The role of abiotic factors in the allelopathic interactions between copepods and rotifers is poorly documented. Temperature has a marked effect on the metabolism of zooplankton. Therefore, the release of allelochemicals by copepods and the response of rotifers to them may change as temperatures increase. Here, we tested the effect of two temperatures (20 and 25 °C) on the population growth of Brachionus havanaensis cultured on a conditioned medium (CM) of Arctodiaptomus dorsalis and Eucyclops sp. The CM was obtained daily, separately, for the males and females of both copepod species at a density of 0.1 ind. mL−1 for 24 h prior to experiments. In the controls and CM treatments, higher temperatures had a stimulatory effect on the population growth and the rate of population increase (r) of B. havanaensis. At 25 °C, the CM from the females and males of A. dorsalis caused >30% increase in r, but for the CM from Eucyclops sp., this effect was lower (<21%). At 20 °C, the r in the controls and CM treatments was not significantly different. The morphometry of B. havanaensis varied depending on the treatments. Compared to controls, longer loricae were recorded in the CM of male A. dorsalis at both temperatures. However, in the CM of female calanoids, longer rotifers were observed only at higher temperatures. At 20 °C, the CM from Eucyclops produced smaller loricae. The relationship between the lorica length and width of rotifers showed a linear relation but the slope differed among the treatments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2025 Feature Papers by Diversity’s Editorial Board Members)
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