Vantage Points in the Morphology of Aquatic Organisms

A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888). This special issue belongs to the section "Biology and Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 December 2025 | Viewed by 244

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, University of Auckland, P.O. Box 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Interests: vertebrate morphology; comparative anatomy; birds; fish; crocodylians; bats; myology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A vantage point is a significant location or position from which the status and evolution of a field of interest can be viewed and interpreted. A detailed study of a specific morphological subject can provide data for a number of different approaches in vertebrate biology. Some examples are shown below:

  • Development of characters for phylogenetic analysis, sometimes together with molecular phylogeny.
  • Gaining insight into functions, sometimes combined with various mechanical analyses.
  • Studying ecological adaptations.
  • Exploring developmental pathways, sometimes combined with gene expression work.
  • Integration of several of the above approaches.

Here, we are asking for submissions concerned with key morphological advances that offer a vantage point on the function, ecology, systematics, phylogenetics or development of a group of aquatic organisms. 

Within the existing literature, this Special Issue will affirm the ongoing importance of morphology in biological research and may serve as a reference point for the use of morphological data.

Dr. Peter S. Johnston
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Fishes 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 2600 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

  • morphology
  • palaeontology
  • aquatic
  • vertebrate
  • invertebrate
  • fish
  • cetacean

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 1154 KiB  
Article
Correlation and Path Analysis of Morphological Traits and Body Mass in Perca schrenkii
by Qing Ji, Zhengwei Wang, Huale Lu, Huimin Hao, Syeda Maira Hamid, Qing Xiao, Wentao Zhu, Tao Ai, Zhaohua Huang, Jie Wei and Zhulan Nie
Fishes 2025, 10(7), 359; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10070359 - 20 Jul 2025
Viewed by 116
Abstract
Perca schrenkii populations are experiencing significant declines, yet comprehensive morphological studies are still lacking. Understanding the relationship between morphological traits and body weight is crucial for conservation and breeding programs. We analyzed 13 morphological traits in 100 P. schrenkii specimens from Hamsigou Reservoir [...] Read more.
Perca schrenkii populations are experiencing significant declines, yet comprehensive morphological studies are still lacking. Understanding the relationship between morphological traits and body weight is crucial for conservation and breeding programs. We analyzed 13 morphological traits in 100 P. schrenkii specimens from Hamsigou Reservoir using correlation analysis, path analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA). Body weight exhibited the highest variability (CV = 39.76%). Strong correlations were observed between body weight and body length (R = 0.942), total length, and body width. A four-variable regression model explained 94.1% of body weight variation, with body length showing the strongest direct effect (path coefficient = 0.623). The first three principal components accounted for 76.687% of the total variance. Our findings demonstrate that BL, BW, BD, and ES can effectively predict body weight, providing valuable insights for the conservation and selective breeding of P. schrenkii. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vantage Points in the Morphology of Aquatic Organisms)
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