Giant Virus Biology and Biodiversity
A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Diversity and Culture Collections".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 3675
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Since the discovery of Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus in 2003, a hidden world of “giant viruses” or double-stranded DNA-containing nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDV) that infect eukaryotic microorganisms has been revealed. Their large genomes and particle sizes, together with complex biological features, have launched debates regarding the definitions of the terms “virus” and “life” and regarding the evolution of eukaryotes. Although the epoch-making biology of individual giant viruses, including mimiviruses, marseilleviruses, and pandoraviruses, has been well studied, their diversity and their roles in ecosystems have yet to be thoroughly explored. Recent genomic analyses of isolated viruses and giant virus metagenomic studies have begun to clarify the biodiversity of giant viruses, revealing both global and local diversity among giant viruses, such as mimiviruses and marseilleviruses, in aquatic and terrestrial soil environments. This Special Issue provides new findings concerning the biodiversity of giant viruses from a wide range of viewpoints, including genomic to ecological perspectives, to enable significant advances in our knowledge and understanding of giant virus biology.
Prof. Dr. Masaharu Takemura
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
- Genetic diversity of giant viruses
- Species diversity of giant viruses
- Host diversity of giant viruses
- Viral ecology
- Taxonomy
- Evolution
- Host–virus interactions
- Terrestrial distribution
- Ocean and soil metagenomics
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.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
