Functional Ecology of Soil and Aquatic Microorganisms
A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Diversity and Culture Collections".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 9
Special Issue Editors
Interests: plants can recruit soil microorganisms into the rhizosphere when experiencing various environmental stresses, including biotic (e.g., insect pests) and abiotic (e.g., heavy metal pollution, droughts, floods, and salinity) stresses; species coexis
Interests: soil microbiology; soil carbon sequestration; forest soil fertility maintenance; forest soil nutrient cycling; soil ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: diversity; microorganism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Microorganisms in soil and aquatic environments represent the foundation of ecosystem functioning, driving critical biogeochemical cycles, nutrient transformation, and organic matter decomposition. Despite their small size, these microbial communities exhibit remarkable functional diversity and play irreplaceable roles in maintaining ecosystem health and sustainability. Understanding the functional ecology of these microorganisms and their traits, interactions, and activities in response to environmental changes has become increasingly important in the context of global climate change, anthropogenic disturbances, and ecosystem degradation.
Recent advances in molecular techniques and high-throughput sequencing have revolutionized our ability to characterize microbial communities and their functional potential across diverse habitats. However, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the mechanistic links between microbial diversity, community structure, and ecosystem functions. The complex interactions between soil and aquatic microorganisms and their environment require integrated approaches combining ecological theory, advanced methodologies, and field observations.
This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research on the functional ecology of soil and aquatic microorganisms, emphasizing their roles in ecosystem processes, responses to environmental stressors, and applications in ecosystem management and restoration. We welcome original research, reviews, and perspectives that advance our understanding of microbial functional ecology across different spatial and temporal scales.
Dr. Xian Xiao
Dr. Lijun Chen
Dr. Ahyoung Choi
Guest Editors
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
- functional ecology
- soil microorganisms
- aquatic microorganisms
- microbial diversity
- ecosystem functioning
- biogeochemical cycles
- climate change
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