Epibiotic Interactions in Marine Organisms
A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Diversity".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: taxonomy, distribution and ecology of Actiniaria and Zoantharia.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Epibiosis is an important mechanism of coexistence, diversification, and evolution in benthic environments. It may involve substrate-multiplying organisms, ecosystem engineers, and various types of mutualistic or antagonistic interactions. A wide diversity of invertebrates participate in these processes, and some ecosystems are shaped by basibiont organisms. Moreover, although habitat-forming organisms have been extensively cited in the recent literature as important promoters of biotic diversification, we still know little about the drivers that determine their distribution at the local and global scales. This Special Issue will address this topic, showcasing articles that examine the epibiotic community, its interactions, drivers, and selectivity, and the evolutionary mechanisms involved in the process. Bringing together studies on this theme in a single volume will contribute to our understanding of the importance of epibiosis for biodiversity at both the local and global scales, its role in bioinvasion processes, and how the potential specificity of epibiosis can be used for species delimitation. This Special Issue will represent a significant advance in our understanding of marine benthic biodiversity and community functioning.
Dr. Paula Braga Gomes
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
- Epibiosis
- Epifaunal communities
- Habitat-forming species
- Benthic ecosystem engineers
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