Dear colleagues,

Nowadays, it is recognised the key role of environmental factors (e.g. temperature, salinity, pH, sedimentary kind) in shaping the diversity of marine assemblages at different spatial and temporal scales. The role of environmental factors such as temperature is very important in the delimitation of biogeographic realms however, in the marine environment the number and extension of these realms is under discussion. Similarly the diversity patterns along depth or latitudinal gradients are still unclear, with studies providing contradictory results. The number of studies dealing with the relationship of marine diversity and environmental factors at local and regional scales is higher than at broad scales but, these studies are locally specific and thus, cannot be extrapolated as generalities. Moreover, many environmental factors show temporal variability (i.e. seasonality) and thus, the study of the effect of environmental gradients along space should consider temporal variability. Finally, many anthropogenic activities can modify the natural environment by increasing the concentration of nutrients, metals or other elements that are naturally present in the marine environment at local (e.g. eutrophication) or global scales (e.g. ocean acidification). We are pleased to invite you to contribute with your manuscripts to this special Issue, that provides an opportunity to improve the current knowledge about the relationship between environmental factors and marine diversity. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following: topics: studies done at different temporal and spatial scales, the relationship of ecosystem engineers with environmental factors and the effects of anthropogenic disturbances.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Marcos Rubal
Guest Editor

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• Benthos
• Plankton
• Environmental gradients
• Anthropogenic disturbances
• Seasonality
• Ecosystem engineers
• Alpha, Beta and Gamma diversity