Microbial Diversity in Changing Ecosystems: From Environmental Adaptation Mechanisms to Applications

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Diversity and Culture Collections".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 247

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD 4558, Australia
Interests: microbial ecology and diversity; microbial systematics; biodiscovery; microbial biotechnology applied; environmental and industrial microbiology; marine microbiology; biological control; actinomycetology; bacteriophages
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microorganisms represent the unseen majority of Earth's biodiversity, serving as fundamental drivers of ecosystem processes and resilience. As our planet undergoes rapid environmental transformations, understanding microbial responses to these changes has never been more critical.

This Special Issue bridges two complementary perspectives: the vital conservation of microbial diversity through culture collections and the ecological mechanisms by which microbes adapt to and mitigate environmental change.

We invite contributions that explore the following topics:

  1. Microbial Conservation Strategies
    • Innovative approaches to microbial isolation, cultivation, and preservation;
    • The role of culture collections in safeguarding threatened microbial diversity;
    • Integration of ex situ conservation with in situ ecosystem protection.
  2. Ecosystem Responses to Change
    • Microbial adaptation mechanisms under environmental stress;
    • Biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships across habitats;
    • Microbial indicators of environmental change and ecosystem health.
  3. Emerging Tools and Approaches
    • Advanced methodologies for studying microbial communities;
    • Linking culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques;
    • Novel applications of microbial biodiversity research.

This collection will provide a unique synthesis of microbial conservation science and ecological research, highlighting the following:

  • How preserved microbial diversity can inform ecosystem restoration;
  • The importance of microbial communities as components of global biodiversity;
  • Cutting-edge approaches to study and protect these vital organisms.

We welcome research articles, reviews, and methodological papers that advance our understanding of microbial diversity in an era of environmental change.

Dr. Ipek Kurtboke
Guest Editor

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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

  • microbial conservation
  • ecosystem functioning
  • biodiversity monitoring
  • environmental microbiology
  • culture collections

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 1539 KB  
Article
Species Composition and Phylogenetic Diversity of Acetic Acid Bacteria Communities in Homemade Vinegars
by Bernarda Karničnik, Igor Jugović, Franc Janžekovič and Janja Trček
Diversity 2025, 17(11), 770; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17110770 - 3 Nov 2025
Viewed by 48
Abstract
Despite their significance, the diversity of acetic acid bacteria (AAB) in homemade vinegars remains understudied. This study aimed to explore the species-level diversity of AAB in homemade vinegars and to assess their community structure to better understand this microbial niche. To investigate the [...] Read more.
Despite their significance, the diversity of acetic acid bacteria (AAB) in homemade vinegars remains understudied. This study aimed to explore the species-level diversity of AAB in homemade vinegars and to assess their community structure to better understand this microbial niche. To investigate the diversity of these bacteria, we employed recently established customized 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) amplicon metagenomics to identify AAB at the species level. By applying Hill numbers, we calculated species richness, relative abundance, and dominance, providing a clearer understanding of the community structure of AAB in 11 homemade vinegars. Although species richness was relatively high, both relative abundance and dominance were considerably lower, suggesting a community structure dominated by a few highly abundant taxa, with most species being rare or low in abundance. The most dominant genera across most samples were Komagataeibacter and Acetobacter, both of which are known for their roles in oxidative fermentation. Several previously unreported, potentially novel species of AAB were identified, along with two potentially novel genera. This is one of the first studies to examine the diversity of AAB in homemade vinegars using a culture-independent amplicon metagenomic approach. Our findings suggest that the microbiota of homemade vinegars remains an underexplored niche and a source for novel species with biotechnological potential. The results provide valuable baseline data for future microbial studies and may help in the development of novel, customized starter cultures for the improvement and standardization of vinegar production. Full article
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