Diversity, Conservation, and Community Structure of Terrestrial Ground Animals
A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Diversity".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 18
Special Issue Editor
Interests: community ecology; reptile biology and conservation; tropical reptile ecology; chelonian conservation; reptile population biology; reptile dietary habits and foraging ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
To adapt to different habitats and to ensure their own survival, terrestrial ground animals have developed a wide range of morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations. These adaptations have led to the occupation of many ecological niches and contributed to the significant diversity of this group. At the same time, terrestrial ground animals play an important role in shaping the community structure of terrestrial ecosystems, as their species composition, functional roles, trophic interactions, and spatial distributions form the basis of ground-associated animal communities. Additionally, this group of animals is crucial for ecosystem functioning; however, these species and populations are increasingly threatened by various factors, primarily habitat destruction, fragmentation, and degradation, the impact of climate change, and the overexploitation of species. On the other hand, many species of terrestrial ground animals remain insufficiently studied and, consequently, the available data on their diversity, community structure, and conservation are often incomplete.
The aim of this Special Issue is to showcase papers that focus on the diversity, conservation, and community structure of terrestrial ground animals across various ecosystems, emphasizing their ecological roles, adaptive traits, and responses to environmental influences, leading to an enhanced understanding of the ecological significance of these animal groups and the development and definition of strategies for their conservation. For this Special Issue, there is no bias concerning taxa or geographic areas, but all contributions should focus primarily on ground-dwelling and subterranean animals.
Prof. Dr. Luca Luiselli
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 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
- ecological adaptations
- biodiversity
- community structure
- conservation strategies
- habitat degradation
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