Nutrition of Crustaceans: A Molecular Perspective

Dear Colleagues,

Crustaceans, as pivotal components of aquatic ecosystems and global aquaculture, rely heavily on nutrition for growth, reproduction, stress resilience, and disease resistance. Growth and reproduction are core biological processes that directly determine the productivity and sustainability of crustacean aquaculture. Nutrients serve as the material basis and regulatory signals for these processes: adequate protein and amino acid supply supports muscle development and somatic growth, lipids provide energy and essential fatty acids for gonadal maturation, and micronutrients like vitamins and minerals participate in hormone synthesis and reproductive organ development. While traditional studies have illuminated nutritional requirements at the physiological level, the molecular mechanisms underlying nutrient sensing, metabolism, and regulation, as well as their specific roles in driving growth and reproduction, remain underexplored. This knowledge gap limits the development of precision nutritional strategies to optimize crustacean growth performance, reproductive efficiency, health, and overall productivity.

This Special Issue aims to bridge this gap by focusing on the molecular basis of crustacean nutrition, with a particular emphasis on the molecular links between nutrients and growth/reproduction. We welcome original research and reviews that dissect molecular mechanisms, leveraging multi-omics approaches (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics), molecular signaling pathways (e.g., TOR, AMPK, insulin-like), and gene regulatory networks. Topics include, but are not limited to the following: molecular responses to macro- and micronutrient (protein, lipid, carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals) availability in the context of growth and reproductive processes; nutrient-mediated molecular regulation of key growth-related genes (e.g., growth hormone, myostatin) and reproductive-related pathways (e.g., vitellogenesis, sex determination); nutrient–gut microbiota interactions at the molecular level and their impacts on growth performance and reproductive health; molecular basis of nutrient-mediated immune modulation; and genetic/molecular markers associated with nutritional efficiency, growth rate, and reproductive success.

By integrating these molecular insights, especially those clarifying how nutrients regulate growth and reproduction at the molecular level, this Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of how nutrients shape crustacean biology. It will ultimately facilitate the design of targeted nutritional interventions to enhance growth rate, improve reproductive output, and ensure sustainable crustacean aquaculture. We invite researchers to contribute innovative findings that unravel the molecular intricacies of crustacean nutrition, with a focus on the critical connections between nutrients and growth/reproduction processes.

Dr. Cheng Chi
Guest Editor

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