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Marine Biodiversity and Its Relationship with Climate/Environment
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Marine Biodiversity and Its Relationship with Climate/Environment

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity and Functionality of Aquatic Ecosystems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 800

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Francesco Rendina

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science and Technology, Parthenope University of Naples, Naples, Italy
Interests: marine ecology; climate change; macroalgae; phycology; marine biology; biodiversity; physiology; algal taxonomy; aquatic macrophyte; seagrass
Dr. Valentina Perricone

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
Interests: marine biology; climate change; functional morphology; biomechanics; biomimetics and bioinspired design; nature-based solutions; coastal barriers; echinoderms

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Water, entitled Marine Biodiversity and Its Relationship with Climate/Environment, aims to explore the dynamic and complex interconnections between marine biodiversity and environmental change, with a particular focus on the impacts of climate variability on oceanic ecosystems. It seeks to bring together leading research that addresses the diverse responses of marine species, habitats, and ecological functions to environment-driven changes, including ocean warming, acidification, pollution, and extreme events. By examining these factors, this Special Issue will contribute to a broader understanding of how climate and environmental changes shape marine biodiversity patterns, resilience, and ecosystem services essential to both marine life and human communities.

Situated within a growing body of literature on climate impacts in marine environments, this Special Issue distinguishes itself by integrating multidisciplinary insights across biology, ecology, oceanography, and environmental science. It builds on foundational studies of biodiversity loss and recent findings on species adaptation, resilience, and migration patterns, positioning itself as a timely contribution to ongoing research on mitigating climate impacts on marine life. The Special Issue will provide a comprehensive platform for discussing policy implications and adaptive management strategies crucial for safeguarding marine biodiversity in a rapidly changing world.

Dr. Francesco Rendina
Dr. Valentina Perricone
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 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. Water 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.

Keywords

  • marine biodiversity
  • marine ecosystems
  • climate change
  • ocean acidification
  • global warming
  • species adaptation
  • habitat shift
  • ecosystem services
  • environmental impacts
  • marine conservation
  • sustainable management

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 5295 KiB  
Article
From Shell to Sequence: Optimizing DNA Extraction and PCR for Pen Shell Identification
by Maria Kamilari, Charikleia Papaioannou, Antonios Augustinos, Efthimios Spinos, Ioannis A. Giantsis, Alexios Ramfos, John A. Theodorou and Costas Batargias
Water 2025, 17(8), 1162; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17081162 - 13 Apr 2025
Viewed by 267
Abstract
Pinna nobilis, an ecologically significant and critically endangered bivalve endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, has been classified as “Critically Endangered” by IUCN due to habitat degradation, climate change, and mass mortality events caused by the protozoan parasite Haplosporidium pinnae. Effective conservation [...] Read more.
Pinna nobilis, an ecologically significant and critically endangered bivalve endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, has been classified as “Critically Endangered” by IUCN due to habitat degradation, climate change, and mass mortality events caused by the protozoan parasite Haplosporidium pinnae. Effective conservation efforts require robust molecular tools for species identification and genetic monitoring, necessitating the development of optimized DNA extraction and amplification protocols for a non-invasive sampling protocol. In this study, we evaluated multiple DNA extraction methods—Chelex-100, the sodium chloride (NaCl) method, a modified CTAB protocol, and a commercial kit, NucleoSpin Tissue Kit—using minute shell fragments from both ethanol-preserved and air-dried (dead) samples. We optimized key parameters, including incubation times, temperatures, and sample preparation, to determine the most effective protocol for obtaining high-quality DNA suitable for downstream applications. Additionally, we assessed different PCR strategies, including nested and semi-nested approaches targeting the COI gene marker, to enhance species identification. To further refine the methodology, we evaluated novel specific primers for nested PCR, improving sensitivity and specificity in detecting P. nobilis DNA from minute and degraded samples. Our results provide an optimized, cost-effective, and time-efficient workflow for non-invasive molecular identification of P. nobilis, with broad implications for conservation genetics, biodiversity monitoring, and species recovery programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Biodiversity and Its Relationship with Climate/Environment)
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16 pages, 6428 KiB  
Article
Influence of Key Physicochemical Factors on the Temporal Dynamics of Invasive and Native Ascidian Settlement
by Dimitrios Tsotsios, Maria V. Alvanou, Dimitrios K. Papadopoulos, Vlasoula Bekiari, Konstantinos Feidantsis, Ioannis A. Giantsis and John A. Theodorou
Water 2025, 17(8), 1122; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17081122 - 9 Apr 2025
Viewed by 267
Abstract
In an effort to monitor ascidian recruitment in mussel aquaculture facilities, a series of settlement plates (20 × 20 cm) were placed in a mussel farm located in the Amvrakikos Gulf (Ionian Sea). The plates were vertically deployed on floating facilities in the [...] Read more.
In an effort to monitor ascidian recruitment in mussel aquaculture facilities, a series of settlement plates (20 × 20 cm) were placed in a mussel farm located in the Amvrakikos Gulf (Ionian Sea). The plates were vertically deployed on floating facilities in the water column at regular intervals (depths of 0.2 m, 1.5 m, and 3 m) to monitor the settlement and proliferation of ascidians. Furthermore, measurements of seawater physicochemical parameters such as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll-a concentration were conducted together with the record of ascidian species in each sampling from January 2021 to November 2021. The correlation of these parameters with ascidian species provides information on their effect on the periodicity of ascidians’ recruitment. The results demonstrated a significant correlation between ascidian presence and water temperature. The potential influence of other important environmental parameters such as chlorophyll-a was not revealed, likely due to the limited number of values and samples included in the analyses. While increased chlorophyll levels, reflecting increased primary productivity or nutrient availability, are associated with increased growth and reproduction of all ascidian species, the effect of temperature was more potent and species-specific. Ciona robusta, Styela plicata, Microcosmus squamiger, and Phallusia mammillata were mainly detected at temperatures below 25 °C, whereas Clavelina oblonga was prevalent at temperatures above 25 °C. The absence of most ascidians at temperatures above 25 °C was possibly attributed to decreased settlement success and to the increased competition from C. oblonga at higher temperatures. The deployment of settlement plates in correlation with seawater physiochemical parameters can provide valuable data on ascidian settlement dynamics and support the development of targeted management practices for biofouling control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Biodiversity and Its Relationship with Climate/Environment)
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