Freshwater Fish Diversity, Conservation and Ecology

Dear Colleagues,

Freshwater ecosystems harbor a disproportionately high level of global biodiversity while being among the most threatened habitats worldwide. Freshwater fishes, in particular, represent a key component of aquatic ecosystems, playing crucial ecological, evolutionary, and socio-economic roles. However, freshwater fish diversity is increasingly impacted by habitat degradation, hydromorphological alterations, pollution, climate change, overexploitation, and biological invasions.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of current research on freshwater fish diversity, conservation, and ecology across different spatial and temporal scales. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and short communications addressing taxonomic, ecological, evolutionary, and conservation-related aspects of freshwater fishes. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, patterns and drivers of fish diversity, population structure and dynamics, functional and trophic ecology, fish responses to environmental stressors, invasive species impacts, and conservation and management strategies.

Particular emphasis is placed on integrative and interdisciplinary approaches, including the use of molecular tools (e.g., population genetics, phylogeography, eDNA), morphological and functional trait analyses, long-term monitoring, and ecological indicators. Contributions focusing on understudied regions, such as small and medium-sized river systems, transitional waters, and biodiversity hotspots, are especially encouraged. By bringing together diverse perspectives and methodologies, this Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of freshwater fish biodiversity and to support evidence-based conservation and sustainable management of freshwater ecosystems.

Dr. Ana Marić
Prof. Dr. Marko Ćaleta
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-anonymized 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.