Review Papers on Marine Diversity

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 39942

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Taxonomy and Systematics Group, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
2. Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands
Interests: stony corals; coral-associated fauna; coral reef conservation; coral taxonomy; coral trade; tropical marine biodiversity; marine invertebrates; marine biogeography; phylogeny reconstructions; marine invasives
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
MISE (Molecular Invertebrate Systematics and Ecology) Laboratory, Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
Interests: marine biodiversity; Zoantharia; coral reefs; Anthozoa; coastal development; symbioses; taxonomy; eDNA
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There has been a recent and rapid increase in the number of publications dealing with marine diversity, and thus there is a growing need to integrate all this new information without overlooking what has been published in the past. Review papers are essential for unifying information and can help to discover and point out gaps in our knowledge. Therefore, for this Special Issue, we invite review papers on multidisciplinary topics of marine diversity that bridge organismic diversity and molecular diversity. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish overviews in their research field with as much detail as possible. Examples are: organismic diversity and diversity preservation; systematics, taxonomy, and phylogeny; integrated morphological and genetic diversity and its conservation; global change effects on marine biodiversity; fragmentation effects; invasive organisms; conservation management; patterns of past and present marine biodiversity; species richness patterns over environmental gradients; artificial and disturbed environments and ocean sprawl. Before you plan to submit a manuscript, please contact the editors to find out whether your suggested topic is relevant for this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Bert W. Hoeksema
Dr. James Davis Reimer
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Marine biodiversity
  • Marine biogeography
  • Marine conservation
  • Marine ecology
  • Marine invasives
  • Marine paleontology
  • Phylogeny
  • Symbioses
  • Taxonomy

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Review

13 pages, 2433 KiB  
Review
Black Coral Distribution in the Italian Seas: A Review
by Michela Ingrassia and Letizia Di Bella
Diversity 2021, 13(7), 334; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13070334 - 20 Jul 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3035
Abstract
Antipatharian corals are important structural and complex members of benthic communities inhabiting the Italian seafloor. In this study, the distribution of black corals in Italy is reported and mapped for the first time. This review has permitted the identification of occurrences of such [...] Read more.
Antipatharian corals are important structural and complex members of benthic communities inhabiting the Italian seafloor. In this study, the distribution of black corals in Italy is reported and mapped for the first time. This review has permitted the identification of occurrences of such vulnerable marine ecosystems along the Italian coasts in a bathymetric range of 42 m to 790 m. Black corals appear to be most conspicuous and widely distributed in the mesophotic zone (from around 60 to 300 m depth), with a major occurrence on the rocky bottom and shoals. This review also highlights that these communities suffer direct damage from anthropogenic impacts (fishing activity and lost garbage). Finally, this study provides evidence that the reported Italian submarine sites associated with the occurrence of black corals probably represent only a small portion of their real distribution. This finding urges the need to increase monitoring efforts to support the protection and the conservation of these pristine species assemblages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Review Papers on Marine Diversity)
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37 pages, 4024 KiB  
Review
Diversity of Seahorse Species (Hippocampus spp.) in the International Aquarium Trade
by Sasha Koning and Bert W. Hoeksema
Diversity 2021, 13(5), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13050187 - 29 Apr 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 8899
Abstract
Seahorses (Hippocampus spp.) are threatened as a result of habitat degradation and overfishing. They have commercial value as traditional medicine, curio objects, and pets in the aquarium industry. There are 48 valid species, 27 of which are represented in the international aquarium [...] Read more.
Seahorses (Hippocampus spp.) are threatened as a result of habitat degradation and overfishing. They have commercial value as traditional medicine, curio objects, and pets in the aquarium industry. There are 48 valid species, 27 of which are represented in the international aquarium trade. Most species in the aquarium industry are relatively large and were described early in the history of seahorse taxonomy. In 2002, seahorses became the first marine fishes for which the international trade became regulated by CITES (Convention for the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), with implementation in 2004. Since then, aquaculture has been developed to improve the sustainability of the seahorse trade. This review provides analyses of the roles of wild-caught and cultured individuals in the international aquarium trade of various Hippocampus species for the period 1997–2018. For all species, trade numbers declined after 2011. The proportion of cultured seahorses in the aquarium trade increased rapidly after their listing in CITES, although the industry is still struggling to produce large numbers of young in a cost-effective way, and its economic viability is technically challenging in terms of diet and disease. Whether seahorse aquaculture can benefit wild populations will largely depend on its capacity to provide an alternative livelihood for subsistence fishers in the source countries. For most species, CITES trade records of live animals in the aquarium industry started a few years earlier than those of dead bodies in the traditional medicine trade, despite the latter being 15 times higher in number. The use of DNA analysis in the species identification of seahorses has predominantly been applied to animals in the traditional medicine market, but not to the aquarium trade. Genetic tools have already been used in the description of new species and will also help to discover new species and in various other kinds of applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Review Papers on Marine Diversity)
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42 pages, 4969 KiB  
Review
A Review of the Ecomorphology of Pinnotherine Pea Crabs (Brachyura: Pinnotheridae), with an Updated List of Symbiont-Host Associations
by Werner de Gier and Carola Becker
Diversity 2020, 12(11), 431; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12110431 - 16 Nov 2020
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 7918
Abstract
Almost all pea crab species in the subfamily Pinnotherinae (Decapoda: Brachyura: Pinnotheridae) are considered obligatory endo- or ectosymbionts, living in a mutualistic or parasitic relationship with a wide variety of invertebrate hosts, including bivalves, gastropods, echinoids, holothurians, and ascidians. While the subfamily is [...] Read more.
Almost all pea crab species in the subfamily Pinnotherinae (Decapoda: Brachyura: Pinnotheridae) are considered obligatory endo- or ectosymbionts, living in a mutualistic or parasitic relationship with a wide variety of invertebrate hosts, including bivalves, gastropods, echinoids, holothurians, and ascidians. While the subfamily is regarded as one of the most morphologically adapted groups of symbiotic crabs, the functionality of these adaptations in relation to their lifestyles has not been reviewed before. Available information on the ecomorphological adaptations of various pinnotherine crab species and their functionality was compiled in order to clarify their ecological diversity. These include the size, shape, and ornamentations of the carapace, the frontal appendages and mouthparts, the cheliped morphology, the ambulatory legs, and the reproductive anatomy and larval characters. The phylogenetic relevance of the adaptations is also reviewed and suggestions for future studies are made. Based on an updated list of all known pinnotherine symbiont–host associations and the available phylogenetic reconstructions, it is concluded that, due to convergent evolution, unrelated species with a similar host interaction might display the same morphological adaptations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Review Papers on Marine Diversity)
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9 pages, 602 KiB  
Review
Diversity of Feeding in Anthozoa (Cnidaria): A Systematic Review
by Thaís Barbosa Santos, James D. Reimer, Fabián H. Acuña and Sérgio N. Stampar
Diversity 2020, 12(10), 405; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12100405 - 20 Oct 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4003
Abstract
In this study, we performed a bibliographical review examining the scientific literature on “feeding in Anthozoa” for the period from 1890 to 2019, using the scientific database Google Scholar, supplemented with additional literature. This study categorized published scientific papers on this topic by [...] Read more.
In this study, we performed a bibliographical review examining the scientific literature on “feeding in Anthozoa” for the period from 1890 to 2019, using the scientific database Google Scholar, supplemented with additional literature. This study categorized published scientific papers on this topic by decade of publication, target taxa, variability of species studied in each order and main themes studied. As a result, 153 studies were found, and based on their content, it was observed that within Anthozoa, there has been a concentration of feeding studies on species in the orders Actiniaria (Hexacorallia), Scleractinia (Hexacorallia), and Alcyonacea (Octocorallia). This indicates that the other remaining orders of the group have been comparatively neglected with regards to their feeding aspects. Therefore, as data on feeding in some groups of Anthozoa are scarce, studies need to be carried out to fill the gaps that permeate this important benthic group, in order to better understand their ecology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Review Papers on Marine Diversity)
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10 pages, 3264 KiB  
Review
Immediate Effects of Hurricanes on a Diverse Coral/Mangrove Ecosystem in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Potential for Recovery
by Caroline S. Rogers
Diversity 2019, 11(8), 130; https://doi.org/10.3390/d11080130 - 12 Aug 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 6130
Abstract
Hurricanes Irma and Maria, two powerful storms that hit the U.S. Virgin Islands less than 2 weeks apart in September 2017, caused extensive damage to the natural resources on St. John. Damage was particularly severe in a unique mangrove/coral ecosystem in three bays [...] Read more.
Hurricanes Irma and Maria, two powerful storms that hit the U.S. Virgin Islands less than 2 weeks apart in September 2017, caused extensive damage to the natural resources on St. John. Damage was particularly severe in a unique mangrove/coral ecosystem in three bays within Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument, a National Park Service marine protected area. Many Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) trees were uprooted and tossed into the sea, and the prop roots of others were stripped of corals, sponges and other marine life. No other mangrove area in the Caribbean is known to have so many scleractinian corals (about 30 species before the storms). Although many corals were overturned or buried in rubble, colonies of most of the species, including four that are listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, survived. Recovery of this ecosystem will depend on Red Mangrove propagules becoming established and producing prop roots to support rich marine life along with a canopy to provide the shade that was critical to the biodiversity that was present before the storms. Unlike in many situations where major disturbances reduce coral cover, the substrate that must be restored for full recovery to occur is a living substrate—the prop roots of the mangroves. Larvae of corals and sponges will need to recruit on to the roots. Future storms could hinder this process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Review Papers on Marine Diversity)
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26 pages, 1378 KiB  
Review
Taking Advantage of the Genomics Revolution for Monitoring and Conservation of Chondrichthyan Populations
by Shaili Johri, Michael P. Doane, Lauren Allen and Elizabeth A. Dinsdale
Diversity 2019, 11(4), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/d11040049 - 29 Mar 2019
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 7713
Abstract
Chondrichthyes (sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras) are among the oldest extant predators and are vital to top-down regulation of oceanic ecosystems. They are an ecologically diverse group occupying a wide range of habitats and are thus, exploited by coastal, pelagic and deep-water fishing [...] Read more.
Chondrichthyes (sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras) are among the oldest extant predators and are vital to top-down regulation of oceanic ecosystems. They are an ecologically diverse group occupying a wide range of habitats and are thus, exploited by coastal, pelagic and deep-water fishing industries. Chondrichthyes are among the most data deficient vertebrate species groups making design and implementation of regulatory and conservation measures challenging. High-throughput sequencing technologies have significantly propelled ecological investigations and understanding of marine and terrestrial species’ populations, but there remains a paucity of NGS based research on chondrichthyan populations. We present a brief review of current methods to access genomic and metagenomic data from Chondrichthyes and discuss applications of these datasets to increase our understanding of chondrichthyan taxonomy, evolution, ecology and population structures. Last, we consider opportunities and challenges offered by genomic studies for conservation and management of chondrichthyan populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Review Papers on Marine Diversity)
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