Freshwater Zoobenthos Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Freshwater Biodiversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 10916

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
Interests: biogeography; Chironomidae; ecology; systematics; eDNA; mitogenome; molecular phylogeny
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
Interests: biodiversity; evolution; molecular phylogeny; phylogeography and conservation of freshwater crabs
State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Interests: global change biology of aquatic macroinvertebrate and fish; functional ecology of aquatic macroinvertebrate and fish; aquatic bioassessment and environmental modeling
College of Life Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541006, China
Interests: gastropod taxonomy; molecular phylogeny

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, Beijing 100012, China
Interests: benthic macroinvertebrate; aquatic biology; aquatic ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a forthcoming Special Issue of Diversity focused on freshwater zoobenthos, which is a key indicator group for monitoring environmental change in freshwater ecosystems.

The freshwater zoobenthos consists, mostly, of insect larvae, crustacean, annelids, and molluscs, with >200,000 estimated species in the world. Due to their high species diversity, specialized life cycles, and sensitivity to water environmental changes, freshwater zoobenthos are important biological indicators for monitoring and assessment of freshwater ecosystem health. Many previous studies have achieved considerable progress for diversity, phylogeny, biogeography, evolution, and ecology of freshwater zoobenthos. However, there remains much to be learned in order to improve the understanding of taxonomic groups and their phylogenetic relationships that still remain uncertain.

This Special Issue aims to seek high-quality original submissions that advance our understanding of freshwater zoobenthos biodiversity, evolution, and ecology, including studies in the fields of classic and molecular taxonomy, DNA barcoding, phylogeny (articles with only a single mitochondrial genome and related simple phylogenetic analysis will not be considered), ecology, and biogeography.

Dr. Xiao-Long Lin
Prof. Dr. Hongying Sun
Dr. Kai Chen
Dr. Li-Na Du
Dr. Bing-Jiao Sun
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 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

  • biogeography
  • DNA barcode
  • ecology
  • evolution
  • genomics
  • phylogeny
  • taxonomy
  • zoobenthos

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (6 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 4786 KiB  
Article
Distribution Profile of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Some Rivers of Yaoundé City and Its Surroundings Using Self Organizing Map and Indicator value methods
by Marie Anita Temgoua Zemo, Samuel Foto Menbohan, Bernard Tossou Atchrimi, Delagnon Assou, Belmond Eric Biram à Ngon, Noel Christiane Wilfreid Betsi, Serge Gwos Nhiomock, Harissou, Nathaniel Larry Lactio, Bolivar Far Ndourwe, Mathias Nwaha, Donald l’or Nyame Mbia, Laure Yvonne Tchouapi, Ghislain Ulric Tchouta, Blaise Rollinat Mboye and Jean Dzavi
Diversity 2024, 16(7), 385; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16070385 - 2 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1243
Abstract
Urban sprawl leads to the degradation of aquatic environments and, consequently, to the destruction of biodiversity. With the aim of highlighting the distribution profile of benthic macroinvertebrates in the city of Yaoundé and its surroundings according to the level of degradation, this study [...] Read more.
Urban sprawl leads to the degradation of aquatic environments and, consequently, to the destruction of biodiversity. With the aim of highlighting the distribution profile of benthic macroinvertebrates in the city of Yaoundé and its surroundings according to the level of degradation, this study was carried out in seven rivers. A total of 144 taxa of benthic macroinvertebrates, belonging to 74 families, 15 orders, five classes, and three phyla, were collected from seven rivers in urban, peri-urban, and forest environments on Yaoundé and its surroundings. The self-organizing map (SOM) analysis tool was used to group the collected taxa from all stations into three clusters or affinity cores. The indicator value analysis (IndVal) method was employed to determine, based on their ecological preferences, which organisms were most likely to belong to each group. Out of the 144 collected taxa, only 44 were indicated to represent the three different groups. Thus, three communities were defined: the Hydropsyche community, with Hydropsyche sp. as the predominant taxon in Group III, characterizing well-oxygenated and low-mineralized stations; the Hydrocyrius community, where the species Hydrocyrius sp. predominates in Group I, describing stations with low oxygenation and moderate mineralization; and the Lumbriculidae community, where Lumbriculidae is the taxon associated with environments with high mineralization and critical oxygenation. These two methods contribute to the biomonitoring of tropical aquatic environments, firstly by grouping organisms by affinity and then identifying those that reflect the environment conditions. This facilitates the detection of changes in the quality of hydrosystems and guides management and conservation efforts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Zoobenthos Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology)
Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 3064 KiB  
Article
Towards a Comprehensive DNA Barcode Library of Stenochironomus Kieffer, 1919 (Diptera: Chironomidae) from China
by Hui Wang, Hai-Feng Xu, Chen-Hong Li, Hai-Xin Zhang, Yan-Ping Zhang, Bing-Jiao Sun and Xiao-Long Lin
Diversity 2024, 16(5), 257; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16050257 - 24 Apr 2024
Viewed by 802
Abstract
The adoption of DNA-based assessments for biodiversity monitoring has been on the rise. However, the effectiveness of DNA-based taxonomic assignments heavily relies on the availability and reliability of DNA barcode libraries. There is growing demand for a comprehensive understanding of aquatic biodiversity and [...] Read more.
The adoption of DNA-based assessments for biodiversity monitoring has been on the rise. However, the effectiveness of DNA-based taxonomic assignments heavily relies on the availability and reliability of DNA barcode libraries. There is growing demand for a comprehensive understanding of aquatic biodiversity and the critical role of Chironomidae, specifically Stenochironomus in freshwater ecosystems. Therefore, our objective is to develop a reference barcode library for Stenochironomus in China. From 2016 to 2021, we collected Stenochironomus specimens in diverse Chinese landscapes using malaise traps, light traps, and sweep nets. These specimens were carefully preserved for DNA extraction and barcode sequencing. Our analysis unveiled 36 unique operational taxonomic units from 180 COI barcode sequences through a Neighbor-Joining tree and Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery program, highlighting a significant diversity within the Stenochironomus species. The findings emphasize the constraints of conventional morphological identification methods, especially for species with ambiguous morphologies. It also underscores the effectiveness of DNA barcoding in revealing hidden species diversity, known as cryptic species. Consequently, this study advocates for an integrated taxonomic approach, combining morphological and molecular data, to refine species identification and conservation strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Zoobenthos Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology)
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 4889 KiB  
Article
Insights into the Gut Microbiota of the Freshwater Crab Sinopotamon planum across Three Seasons and Its Associations with the Surrounding Aquatic Microbiota
by Caixin Liu, Meijun Liu, Yifan Wang, Boyang Shi and Da Pan
Diversity 2023, 15(4), 519; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15040519 - 3 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1769
Abstract
Gut microbiota is closely related to the health of the host and its adaptation to environmental changes. Sinopotamon planum is a species of freshwater crab that lives in the water for three seasons and plays a key role in freshwater ecosystems as a [...] Read more.
Gut microbiota is closely related to the health of the host and its adaptation to environmental changes. Sinopotamon planum is a species of freshwater crab that lives in the water for three seasons and plays a key role in freshwater ecosystems as a benthic macroinvertebrate, an important indicator of aquatic ecological health. In this study, we sequenced 60 gut microbial samples of S. planum and nine microbial samples from the surrounding water in spring, summer, and autumn based on the 16S rRNA gene. The results showed that gut microbiota had the highest alpha diversity in summer, which may be related to increased adaptability in summer. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidota were the most dominant phyla of gut microbiota across three seasons, with Candidatus Hepatoplasma and Candidatus Bacilloplasma being the main genera. These main phyla and genera may be key to maintaining a stable function of the intestinal environment. Firmicutes was the phylum with the highest relative abundance, which is probably related to the carnivorous behaviour of S. planum. The abundant C. Hepatoplasma may be related to the starvation of S. planum in the wild. In both gut and water microbiota, beta diversity analyses showed significant differences across seasons. Comparative analysis of gut microbes and surrounding water microbes showed significant differences in microbial diversity and composition between gut and surrounding water. In conclusion, the structure of the gut microbial community of S. planum differed significantly between the studied seasons, but the water microbial community around S. planum was less variable and significantly different from the gut microbes. The seasonal differences in gut microbes are more likely the result of self-internal adaptation to changes in water temperature and food resources between seasons. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Zoobenthos Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology)
Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 3157 KiB  
Article
A Checklist of the Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Middle and Lower Basins of Jinsha River, Southwestern China; Including One New Species and Nine New Records in China
by Xinyu Ge, Zhiqi Peng, Lang Peng, Xianle Jia, Kai Chen, Changhai Sun and Beixin Wang
Diversity 2023, 15(2), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020181 - 28 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1628
Abstract
A checklist of trichopteran species in the middle and lower basins of the Jinsha River (southwestern China) is compiled for the first time. upon collected materials. It recorded ten families, 13 genera, and 23 species were recorded. Among them, the male of a [...] Read more.
A checklist of trichopteran species in the middle and lower basins of the Jinsha River (southwestern China) is compiled for the first time. upon collected materials. It recorded ten families, 13 genera, and 23 species were recorded. Among them, the male of a new species Cheumatopsyche latisecta Ge & Sun, sp. nov., which can be diagnosed by its genitalia, is described and illustrated. In addition, nine other species are recorded for the first time from China, six species and three ones are recorded for the first time for Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, respectively. This trichopteran species list can provide guidance for caddisfly identification of the river and the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Zoobenthos Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology)
Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 1828 KiB  
Article
Genetic Variation and Phylogeography of Lumbriculus variegatus (Annelida: Clitellata: Lumbriculidae) Based on Mitochondrial Genes
by Tingting Zhou, Jiefeng Yu, Yongjing Zhao, Dekui He, Hongzhu Wang and Yongde Cui
Diversity 2023, 15(2), 158; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020158 - 22 Jan 2023
Viewed by 2246
Abstract
Lumbriculus variegatus is a typical cold-water worm and is mainly distributed in the Tibetan Plateau and Northeast in China. The current study aimed to explore the genetic diversity and phylogeography of L. variegatus sampled from different geographical regions based on concatenated (COI + [...] Read more.
Lumbriculus variegatus is a typical cold-water worm and is mainly distributed in the Tibetan Plateau and Northeast in China. The current study aimed to explore the genetic diversity and phylogeography of L. variegatus sampled from different geographical regions based on concatenated (COI + 16S rRNA, 879 bp) genes. Among 63 L. variegatus specimens, 29 haplotypes were identified with high haplotype diversity (h = 0.923) and nucleotide diversity (π = 0.062). The Bayesian phylogenetic analysis and Median-joining haplotype network revealed two lineages, or species, of L. variegatus. Taxa belonging to lineage I was mainly distributed in the Tibetan Plateau of China, North America, and Sweden, while lineage II composed taxa from Northeast China, southern China, and Sweden. The analysis of molecular variance indicated that the genetic difference was mainly due to differences between lineages. Neutrality tests showed that the overall L. variegatus have a stable population since the time of origin. Divergence time analysis suggested that L. variegatus originated from the Triassic period of Mesozoic in 235 MYA (95%HPD: 199–252 MYA), and the divergence between different lineages of L. variegatus began from the next 170 million years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Zoobenthos Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology)
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 6018 KiB  
Article
The Real Characters of Heptagenia ngi Hsu (1936) from China Representing a New Genus (Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae)
by Dewen Gong, Wei Zhang and Changfa Zhou
Diversity 2022, 14(12), 1027; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14121027 - 24 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1510
Abstract
A very common and early named mayfly species from China, Heptagenia ngi Hsu, 1936, has no exact descriptions of its imago nor nymph, so its generic status is not clear. Based on detailed re-descriptions and pictures of all its stages from fresh materials, [...] Read more.
A very common and early named mayfly species from China, Heptagenia ngi Hsu, 1936, has no exact descriptions of its imago nor nymph, so its generic status is not clear. Based on detailed re-descriptions and pictures of all its stages from fresh materials, it is transferred into a new genus Maculogenia Zhou, gen. nov. Its nymph has conspicuous pale-dark colored body, slightly concave posterior margin of head, scattered simple setae on ventral maxillae, spines and very fine hair-like setae on caudal filaments. Similarly, its imago also has remarkable dark stripes and dots on the pale body, small median titillators and short first segment of foretarsi, apically expanded penes without any spines. It is similar to the genera Electrogena, Thamnodontus, and Parafronurus but they can be differentiated easily by above selected key structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Zoobenthos Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop