The Fundamental Role of Biosystematics in Insect Diversity and Conservation
A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Systematics, Phylogeny and Evolution".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 12461
Special Issue Editors
Interests: biodiversity; community structure; braconids parasitoids; biocontrol; funerary archaeoentomology
Interests: invasive species; biodiversity; conservation biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: Auchenorrhyncha; agroecology; biodiversity; evolutionary ecology; exotic species; functional community ecology; insect conservation; plant-insect-microbe interactions; taxonomy; vector ecology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
A pertinent quote from Axel Hochkirch in his article “The insect crisis we can’t ignore”, published in 2016 in Nature, expressed that “we can preserve only what we know”. Insects represent the most diverse taxonomic class on Earth, with 8.7 million insect species predicted, of which only 1.8 million (15%) are described and named. Insects represent one of the largest components of biodiversity in the world, with numerous ecosystem services (such as pollination, pest control, and nutrients cycling) being reliant on insect activity and, thus, they play a key role in the maintenance of ecological balance. Insect populations are estimated to have declined by 45% during the past 40 years, with a further 40% predicted to be extinct within the next few decades. Altogether, evidence of an imminent Insect Apocalypse suggest we are facing an issue of global concern, and there is a demand for more data and rigorous analysis to better target future conservation strategies. Our society is experiencing the loss of many species that have never been encountered. Fragmentation and loss of habitats, anthropogenic impacts, and climate change are the main causes of biodiversity declines and species extinction. Diversity conservation relies on the possibility to identify living components and characterize their contribution to communities. Accurate species identification and biological systematic studies provide backbone information for the management of insect diversity conservation.
We have accumulated a huge amount of data and publications, with online database applications allowing easy access to them, accelerating the possibility of sharing information and transferring systematic knowledge. This could be a great opportunity to facilitate the study of biosystematics, offering a crucial instrument to develop conservation management strategies. This Special Issue welcomes biodiversity and conservation surveys on natural and agroecosystems, studies investigating community structure along environmental gradients which take into consideration biosystematic aspects. Reports on web-based taxonomy and systematic identification tools intended to support the exchange of observation data and revisionary studies will be also appreciated.
Dr. Augusto Loni
Prof. Dr. Daniela Lupi
Dr. Valeria Trivellone
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. Insects 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 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
- evolutionary biology
- functional community ecology
- biodiversity conservation
- systematics
- taxonomy
