Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics of Insect Social Life in a Changing Environment
A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 110
Special Issue Editors
Interests: animal ecology; biodiversity conservation; climate change biology; evolutionary biology
2. Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, 9712 CP Groningen, The Netherlands
Interests: ecology and evolution of social behavior; animal sociality; insect ecology; chemical ecology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Climate change represents one of the most urgent environmental and societal challenges, with profound consequences for individual survival, population dynamics, and biodiversity loss. Insects, which constitute the majority of animal biomass, demonstrate remarkable adaptative capabilities to environmental changes through alterations in morphology, physiology, and behavior. These adaptations are driven by both evolutionary processes and phenotypic plasticity. Among insects, there are diverse forms of ‘social life’, ranging from group-living or communal to family-based associations and highly structured colonies of eusocial species such as Hymenoptera. While aspects of insect biodiversity and sociality have been studied extensively, there remains a critical need to consolidate recent research for a better understanding of how diverse forms of ‘social life’ interact with evolutionary responses and phenotypic plasticity to shape the adaptative potential of insects towards changing environments. These insights not only deepen our understanding of insect ecology and evolution but also provide valuable implications for insect biodiversity conservation and development of sustainable pest management strategies.
This Special Issue aims to compile recent advances that explore the role of ‘social life’ and sociality in mediating insect (and other arthropods) responses to changing environments. We invite contributions that draw from a broad range of perspectives, including ecology, evolution, molecular biology, insect genomics and genetics, interspecific interactions, population biology, computational biology, behavioral biology, sociobiology, conservation, and pest management science.
We look forward to your submissions.
Prof. Dr. Jan Komdeur
Guest Editor
Dr. Long Ma
Guest Editor Assistant
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
- climate change
- conservation biology
- ecological and evolutionary adaptation
- ecological stressors
- evolutionary ecology
- insect ecology and evolution
- insect sociality
- pest management
- population biology
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
