Diversity and Evolution of Meiofaunal Taxa

Dear Colleagues,

Meiofaunal organisms, including microscopic to small metazoans inhabiting marine, freshwater, and terrestrial interstitial environments, represent a highly diverse yet still insufficiently explored component of animal life. Despite their ubiquity and ecological importance, meiofaunal taxa are often overlooked in broad-scale syntheses of animal diversity, phylogeny, and evolutionary processes. Their unique life histories, frequent morphological simplification, and adaptation to constrained habitats make them particularly valuable for understanding evolutionary innovation and convergence.

This Special Issue aims to advance current knowledge on the diversity and evolution of meiofaunal lineages by integrating classical and modern approaches. We invite contributions addressing phylogenetic relationships, species delimitation, and evolutionary history using morphological and molecular data. Studies focusing on cryptic diversity, integrative taxonomy, and the application of high-throughput sequencing techniques are especially encouraged.

In addition, we welcome research exploring patterns of diversification, biogeography, and ecological adaptation across meiofaunal taxa. The role of environmental constraints in shaping evolutionary trajectories and morphological diversity represents a key topic of interest. Contributions spanning a wide range of taxa (e.g., nematodes, copepods, gastrotrichs, tardigrades, and other understudied groups) are also particularly encouraged.

By bringing together diverse perspectives, this Special Issue seeks to highlight meiofauna as model systems for investigating fundamental questions in evolution and to promote their integration into broader discussions of animal diversity.

Dr. Anush Kosakyan
Guest Editor

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