Travelers on the Wind: Migratory Insects as Emerging Research Models

Dear Colleagues,

Migratory insects, with their extensive movements across ecosystems and varied environmental responses, are becoming essential models for studying complex biological processes. Species such as the monarch butterfly, fall armyworm, brown planthopper, beet webworm, and migratory locust play significant roles in global ecology, agriculture, and biodiversity. Their capacity for long-distance migration and adaptability to diverse environmental and biological factors presents a unique opportunity to investigate key biological topics, including migration behavior and physiology, genetic adaptation, reproductive strategies, insecticide resistance, and intricate host–symbiont interactions. Recent advancements in omics, genetics, physiology, behavior, and ecology have accelerated our understanding of these complex mechanisms through research on migratory insects.

This Special Issue invites contributions that use migratory insects as model systems across research fields. We welcome reviews, research articles, and short communications. Researchers are encouraged to share findings and insights that will advance our understanding of migratory insect biology and drive innovative solutions to ecological and agricultural challenges.

Dr. Guijun Wan
Dr. Qiulin Wu
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-anonymized 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.