Spatial Population Genetics in Insects
A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Pest and Vector Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 1060
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Spatial population genetics provides a powerful lens by which to understand the role of environmental, ecological, and genetic features in shaping the genetic diversity, gene flow, hybridization, and population structure in insect species. This Special Issue invites contributions that expand the scope of landscape genetics to include spatially explicit analyses, such as genetic differentiation and introgression in relation to environmental heterogeneity, spatially mediated mechanisms, and spatial autocorrelation, as well as models that predict how landscape features influence connectivity.
Insects, with their diverse life histories, dispersal mechanisms, and ecological roles, are ideal organisms for such studies. Recent advances in computational methods, and particularly machine learning techniques like random forests, gradient forests, and neural networks, have improved the accuracy and flexibility of spatial genetic modeling by revealing complex relationships beyond those detected with traditional methods. Through the spatially explicit modeling of environmental, ecological, and population genetics data, this Special Issue seeks to deepen our understanding of the spatial patterns and processes underlying genetic variation in insect species.
We welcome research that combines genomic data, environmental variables, and advanced analytical methods to capture the complexity of the genetics of insect populations in spatial landscapes. This collection will highlight insights into how spatial factors influence ecological and evolutionary processes and how the spatially explicit analysis of population genetics data can make critical contributions to the conservation of biodiversity, pest management, and the control of vector-borne diseases.
Dr. Norah P. Saarman
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. Insects 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
- landscape genetics
- landscape resistance
- population genetics
- conservation genetics
- connectivity
- dispersal corridor
- genotype-by-environment
- hybrid zone
- introgression
- environmental gradient
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