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Diversity
Special Issues
Ecology and Biogeography of Marine Benthos—2nd Edition
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Ecology and Biogeography of Marine Benthos—2nd Edition

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 149

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Renato Mamede

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology & CESAM & ECOMARE, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: ecology; biodiversity; biogeography; benthic communities; habitat mapping and modeling; species distribution modeling; remote sensing of benthic habitats; elemental fingerprints of seafood; fatty acid profiles of seafood
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The marine realm is a large reservoir of biodiversity, with most species still waiting to be discovered. Ocean bottoms cover approximately 71% of the Earth’s surface, and from the illuminated seabed of coastal shallow waters to the abyssal plains where no sunlight can reach, they provide a wide range of key ecosystem services. Therefore, in the present context of global warming and other anthropogenic and natural threats (e.g., Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, and invasive species), the implementation of ecosystem-based approaches toward the conservation and management of the marine benthos is paramount. For this, our knowledge of the ecology and biogeography of these ecosystems must be expanded.

Hence, this Special Issue focuses on the study of benthic ecosystems. We invite the submission of papers that contribute new scientific knowledge on the ecology of benthic organisms from different marine taxa. Additionally, studies focusing on the biogeography of marine benthos, the discovery of new species, and reports of invasive species with predictable impacts on benthic ecosystems are welcome.

Dr. Renato Mamede
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 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. Diversity 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 2100 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 taxa
  • benthic communities
  • benthic habitats
  • benthic ecology
  • conservation and management of ecosystems
  • biodiversity
  • species distribution modeling
  • habitat mapping
  • trophic interactions
  • effects of anthropogenic pressures
  • effects of climatic change
  • invasive species

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 4909 KiB  
Article
Macrozoobenthic Communities in the Upwelling Area off Chile (36° S) with Special Consideration of the Oxygen Minimum Zone
by Anna S. Krug and Michael L. Zettler
Diversity 2025, 17(4), 278; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17040278 - 16 Apr 2025
Viewed by 51
Abstract
The Humboldt Current System (HCS) off southwest America is known for its strong upwelling and the resulting high primary production and associated oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). Macrozoobenthic species represent a group of organisms that are affected by the low oxygen concentrations in the [...] Read more.
The Humboldt Current System (HCS) off southwest America is known for its strong upwelling and the resulting high primary production and associated oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). Macrozoobenthic species represent a group of organisms that are affected by the low oxygen concentrations in the OMZ. In January 2023, benthic diversity was investigated at 8 stations on a transect off Concepción, central Chile (in the centre of the OMZ) in a water depth range from 56 to 912 m. The measured oxygen values ranged from 0 µmol/L in the OMZ to 144.64 µmol/L outside the OMZ. At each station, 3 van Veen grabs were taken, the species identified, counted and weighed. The mean abundance, biomass and diversity were calculated for each station. This analysis provided an overview of the changes in the species communities at different oxygen concentrations. The species communities at the stations with low oxygen levels differed greatly from those with higher oxygen levels. Species diversity at the stations increased during the transition from low (<2 µmol/L) to higher oxygen levels (>100 µmol/L). In contrast, species abundance and, to a lesser extent, biomass tended to be higher at low oxygen concentrations. The species composition at the various stations showed a high occurrence of polychaetes. The spionid polychaete Paraprionospio pinnata played an important role as a central key species within the OMZ. In addition to Paraprionospio, Ampelisca araucana, Magelona phyllisae, Nephtys ferruginea and Cossura chilensis were found in high abundance in the oxygen minimum zone (50–200 m water depth). At the edge and presumably below the oxygen minimum zone (300–912 m), where the oxygen concentration rises again, the dominance of individual species decreased, and the total number of species increased. In addition, the species composition changed and the abundance of other polychaete families (Cirratulidae, Amphinomidae, Oweniidae and Capitellidae) amplified. The proportion of polychaetes in the total abundance decreased from almost 100% at the low-oxygen stations to around 60% at the stations below the oxygen minimum zone. Bivalvia of the families Thyasiridae, Nuculidae and Yoldiidae were of particular importance at the deeper stations with a share of up to 20% of the total abundance. The study of benthic communities is of central importance to better understand the future changes in the structure and function of marine ecosystems in hypoxic waters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology and Biogeography of Marine Benthos—2nd Edition)
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