Freshwater Macroinvertebrates: Main Gaps and Future Trends

Dear Colleagues,

Freshwater macroinvertebrates play a crucial role linking sediments and their processes to the food web. Indeed, environmental modifications (e.g., nitrogen deposition, salinity, and temperature increase), pollution (e.g., pesticides and heavy metals), and introduction of alien species are the main drivers of changes that are affecting their communities.

This Special Issue aims to present the past and present knowledge on freshwater macroinvertebrates to understand their role as providers of ecosystem services, to highlight the effects of global changes on their community (in the short and long term), and to underline major gaps in their study.

A special emphasis will be dedicated to pristine high-altitude streams and lakes, wetlands, lowland rivers, and ponds and to the usefulness of macroinvertebrates as biological indicators of environmental change for the assessment of water status.

The link between morphological taxonomy and DNA barcoding, metabarcoding, and eDNA will also be emphasized.

A focus will be dedicated to biogeography and the importance of shared, open access datasets accessible to researchers, stakeholders, and water managers in light of the undeniable growing importance of the link between research and policy.

Finally, in order to tackle the currently unsustainable use of freshwater natural capital, we welcome ideas and expert opinions on the development of future research linked to national and international regulations.

Dr. Angela Boggero
Dr. Laura Garzoli
Guest Editors

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