Feature Papers in Marine Biology, 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues, 

This second edition gathers outstanding, highly cited, and field-shaping studies that advance the frontiers of marine biology. We welcome contributions spanning organismal biology to ecosystem processes, with explicit links to conservation, management, and human dimensions. “Feature Papers” are selected for their originality, methodological rigor, and broad relevance; they serve as benchmarks for current best practice and as entry points for non-specialists.

What qualifies as a Feature Paper

• Novel primary research that resolves a long-standing question or opens a new line of inquiry.
• Authoritative reviews or meta-analyses that synthesize fragmented studiesand set future agendas.
• Method or data papers that enable reproducible, scalable research (e.g., eDNA, automated image analysis, sensor networks).
• Perspectives/Brief Communications that provide decisive conceptual advances or policy-relevant insights.

Themes of interest (non-exhaustive)

• Functional, evolutionary, and physiological ecology of marine organisms (microbes to megafauna).
• Population dynamics, life histories, connectivity, and biogeography under climate change.
• Biodiversity patterns, ecosystem functioning, and services (blue carbon, trophic interactions).
• Conservation biology: threat assessments, recovery planning, MPA effectiveness, restoration ecology.
• Human–ocean interactions: fisheries and bycatch, nature-positive practices, cumulative impacts.
• Invasion biology and range shifts, early detection and rapid response frameworks
• Multi-omics, eDNA/metabarcoding, bioacoustics, biologging/telemetry, remote sensing.
• Coastal to deep-sea systems, polar and tropical seas, extreme and urbanized marine habitats.
• Open data resources; long-term observing networks and reproducible models.

We are delighted to launch the second edition of “Feature Papers in Marine Biology” (JMSE). This collection brings together stand-out, field-shaping studies across marine biology, from organismal physiology and behavior to population dynamics, biodiversity, conservation, and human–ocean interactions. If your work offers clear advances, robust methods, and broad relevance, we would love to consider it.

We welcome Original Research, Reviews/Meta-analyses, Methods or Data Papers, and short Perspectives. Topics span (but are not limited to) climate-driven range shifts, invasion biology, fisheries and bycatch, MPAs and restoration, multi-omics/eDNA, bioacoustics and telemetry, remote sensing and AI pipelines, and open, reproducible workflows. Studies that bridge scales (genes–organisms–ecosystems), integrate observations–experiments–models, or provide shareable resources (datasets, code) are especially encouraged.

Dr. Francesco Tiralongo
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 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. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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.