Impacts of Invasive Species on Forest Biodiversity

Dear Colleagues,

Forest ecosystems represent essential components of the Earth’s natural capital. They provide critical ecosystem services, support high levels of biodiversity, and supply vital resources for human societies. However, these systems are increasingly threatened by a variety of stressors—one of the most pervasive being the spread of invasive alien species (IAS).

This Special Issue, Impacts of Invasive Species on Forest Biodiversity, aims to highlight the ecological, functional, and socio-economic impacts of biological invasions in forest ecosystems. Invasive species—whether plants, animals, fungi, or pathogens—can profoundly disrupt the structure and function of ecosystems. Their influence ranges from direct competition and predation to cascading effects on nutrient cycling, disturbance regimes, and forest regeneration. These impacts can undermine native biodiversity, forest resilience, and the provision of ecosystem services.

We invite submissions of original research articles, reviews, and conceptual perspectives that address the mechanisms, pathways, and consequences of forest invasions worldwide. Aspects such as changes in topsoil properties, humus forms, and impacts on soil biota (e.g., pedofauna) are also welcome, along with studies proposing innovative approaches to early detection, monitoring, integrated management, and ecological restoration.

By bringing together high-quality interdisciplinary work, this Special Issue aims to deepen our understanding of invasive species dynamics and inform effective, science-based strategies for forest conservation and sustainable management.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Ecological and functional impacts of invasive plants, animals, or pathogens in forests;
• Effects on native forest biodiversity, regeneration, and food webs;
• Interactions between climate change and biological invasions;
• Advances in detection, mapping, and monitoring technologies;
• Integrated control strategies and long-term management approaches;
• Restoration ecology in invaded forest landscapes;
• Policy, governance, and socio-economic implications of forest invasion.

Dr. Antonio Morabito
Dr. Giacomo Mei
Dr. Gianmarco Tavilla
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Forests 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.